Cultural Cemetery MINXIAN Accounted Flag Siwa

The excavation of Zhanqi cemetery in Minxian County, Gansu Province has enriched our knowledge on the Siwa Culture. It provides new materials for the contents, the dates and the chronological research of the Culture. The typical pottery assemblages from this cemetery offer new clues to its origin, while the bronze with prominent time features are important for the dating. Meanwhile the bronzes also allow us to make an in-depth discussion on the early metallurgy in the Northwest China and the cultural exchange between the East and the West. Based on the preliminary materials of the Zhanqi cemetery, the author discuss the chronological sequence, the period and go deep into the topics as the origin of the Siwa Culture and its relation with other cultures. The dissertation includes the following five parts:1.Introduction. By reviewing the past discovery and the research history of the Siwa Cuture, the author points out the weak points of the past research and the importance of the new discoveries, and demonstrates the idea and methods adopted in this dissertation.2.The excavation of the Zhanqi cemetery and the classification of the tombs. The main part will be the latter, which helps to learn the funerary customs and the rules of the Siwa Culture.3.Chronological division of the Zhanqi cemetery. Based on the classification of the pottery unearthed in Zhanqi, the typical vessels are recognized and the evolution of the shape and the assemblage are discussed. Based on these rules, the whole cemetery can be divided into three phases.4.Dating and the cultural characteristics of the Zhanqi cemetery. Based on the chronological division, and compared with the objects from other Siwa Cultural sites, a relative date of the Zhanqi cemetery can be estimated. The absolute date is decided according to the bronze with prominent features. The layout of the Zhanqi cemetery and the fact that its typical potteries have clear characteristics of the early Siwa cultural will be emphasized.5.Discussion on the related issues. By comparing the pottery from Zhanqi and those from the Taohe River area sites such as the Mogou site, the Ye’er site, the author try to trace the origin of the Siwa Culture. Comparison on special objects unearthed in this cemetery and other archaeological cultural sites shed light on the relation between the Siwa and other contemporary cultures.