Research On Neolithic White Pottery In Hunan

White pottery is one of the most important achievements of the neolithic age,containing information about technology,art and ideas that ordinary pottery does not have.Hunan is one of the earliest and most concentrated areas of neolithic white pottery.The variety of white pottery in Hunan,the complexity of its shape and the variety of its decoration techniques are all better than other areas.The comprehensive arrangement and systematic study of hunan neolithic white pottery is conducive to get the communication between Hunan and other areas of neolithic age.And it also can explore the status and function of Hunan neolithic culture in the history of ancient Chinese culture.There are Quanzu pottery,round bottom and flat bottom pottery,three-legged pottery and cap in Hunan neolithic white pottery.Quanzu pottery accounts for about 63%of the total number of white pottery,including plate,Dou,Gui and cup.round bottom and flat bottom pottery accounts for 36%,including Bo,pot,Fu,Zeng,Hu,Weng.Decoration techniques include stamping,engraving,painting,hollowing out.There is basically no difference between White pottery and the daily use pottery of the same period.There are daily living utensils,sacrificial utensils and funerary utensils of Hunan White pottery.Living utensils include pot,plate,Bo,Gui,Fu,cup,Ding and Weng,which have the functions of storage,holding food(water)and cooking.Sacrificial utensils include plate,Gui,pot,Fu and cup.The objects of sacrifice include the sun and deified animals.Funerary vessels include plate,Bo,pot,Fu,cup,Hu and Dou,which are mainly found in the Tangjiagang culture.The owner of funerary vessels may be priest.Hunan neolithic white pottery is distributed in 10 administrative regions,such as Changde,Yiyang and Yueyang,etc.According to the distribution of various archaeological cultures and the discovery of Hunan white pottery,it can be divided into the northwest area of Dongting Lake,the southeast area of Dongting Lake and the middle and lower reaches of Xiangjiang River,the middle and upper reaches of Yuanjiang River and the mountainous area of southern Hunan.A total of 133 white pottery of 11 types were found on the northwest area of Dongting Lake,and the culture of white pottery was successively found to be Zaoshixiaceng culture,Tangjiagang culture,Daxi culture,Qujialing culture and Shijiahe Culture.In this area,most pottery is prue white,the patterns are mainly geometric patterns,star patterns are common,animal patterns is rare,and the funerary vessels of white pottery are common.There are 98 white pottery of 9 types in the southeast area of Dongting Lake and the middle and lower reaches of Xiangjiang River.In this area,the proportion of yellow white and gray white pottery are higher.The decorations are mainly geometric patterns,animal patterns is rare.Living utensils was mainly found in this area.31 white pottery of 5 types were found in the middle and upper reaches of Yuanjiang River.In this area,white pottery with sand is the main one,and yellow white pottery and gray white pottery are common.Animal pattern are the main pattern,star,solar,architectural pattern can be occasionally found.Sacrificial utensils of white pottery was mainly found in this area.Only 9 white pottery of 4 types were found in the mountainous area of southern Hunan,which lasted the shortest time.There were many animal and solar patterns in the decorations.The white pottery reflects the communications among various cultures and regions in Hunan neolithic age.The Tangjiagang culture,Datang culture Qianjiaping site was influenced by Gaomiao culture.The white pottery of Tangjiagang culture was spread to Songxikou type.Tangjiagang culture,Daxi culture of the northwest area of Dongting Lake and the southeast area of Dongting Lake and the middle and lower reaches of Xiangjiang River communicate frequently.Hunan white pottery was influenced by the white pottery of Pengtoushan culture and originated from Gaomiao and Zaoshixiaceng culture.Hunan white pottery spread westward of the Jianghan plain,the upper reaches of the Han river,the eastern part of Hubei,southern part of Anhui,the area of Taihu lake,and Lingnan region.The reason for the spread of white pottery is related to the mobility of hunting and gathering economy in mountainous areas and the rapid development of agriculture in plain area.In the middle and late period of Daxi culture,the climate condition of Dongting lake Plain became worse,the agriculture and the local culture declined.At the same time,culture of other area swept into this region,and jade from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River took the place of white pottery,which eventually disappeared.