The Animal Remains Research Of Shangpo Site In Xiping Country In Henna Province

The Erlitou culture plays a decisive role in the development of Chinese civilization and has long been the focus of academic research.Scholars have interpreted the culture from different perspectives.Animals could provide meat,fur,bone materials and served as sacrifices in ancient societies.It is impossible to deep study an archaeological culture without its animal remains.However,for a long time the study of Erlitou animal remains has been concentrated on the site of Erlitou itself and the vicinity,few work has been done on the marginal area of Erlitou culture.The site of Shangpo is located in Xiping County,the northern part of Zhumadian City,Henan Province.It is a small settlement site lying on the southern edge of the Erlitou culture area.This thesis focuses on the zooarchaeological study of 1688 specimens unearthed from the site of Shangpo in 2012,discusses the acquisition and utilization of animal resources,and tries to reconstruct the natural enviromnment in ancient times.Thirty-one animal species excavated from Shangpo,including Sus scrofa domesticus,Bos taurus,Ovis aries,Cervus nippon,Elaphurus davidanus,Canis familiaris,Nyctereutes procyonoidaes,Phasianus sp.,Chinemys reevesii,Mustelidae sibirica,Pelodiscus sinsensis,Ctenopharyngodon idellus,Mylopharyngodn,Silurus asous,Elopichthys bambusa,Lamprotula leai,Cuneopsis capitata,and so on,A total of 32 species.representing five classes:mammal,reptile,fish,aves and mollusk.Most of the specimens found at site are mammals.The study of wild animals' living habits indicates that there was once a rich natural environment covering streams,woodlands,and grasslands,with a warm and humid climate.The analysis of human's acquisition and utilization of animal resources indicates domestic animals husbandry was relatively developed.Sus scrofa domesticus,Bos taurus,Ovis/Capra,and Canis familiaris were the main sources of meat for the Shangpo people.Sus scrofa domesticus was the most important domestic animal.The structure of death age based on tooth eruption and Wear level,In addition to lean meat,the demand of fat may also have been a main object of raising Sus scrofa domesticus.And the main purpose to keep Canis familiaris at Shangpo may have been for food,too.Beside the domestic animals,wild animals,such as fish,freshwater mollusk,cervids,hares and pheasants,also made up important meat supplements for the ancient people.Cervids and fish could be the main prey,and harpoons were used to fish.The worked bone found at Shangpo are mostly simply processed tools made of bone and antler.Some of the antlers might be naturally shed and collected from the field.The raw materials of oracle bone manufacture and divination methods here are in correspondence with other Erlitou sites.According to the comprehensive analysis of features,artefacts and animal remains,the site of Shangpo may have been a small,economically self-sufficient settlement.Animals were a significant component of this economy,and they played a vital role in all aspects of everyday life at Shangpo.