Ancient Cultural Site of Siqian Village

Ancient Cultural Site of Siqian Village

The Ancient Cultural Site of Siqian Village is a protected cultural heritage site of Shanghai Municipality.

The Ancient Cultural Site of Siqian Village (SiqiancunGuwenhuaYizhi) is located to the northeast of Tianyi Village in Daying Township, covering an area of approximately 20,000 square meters. Excavations were carried out in 1966, uncovering 53 square meters, and in 1991, covering 139.5 square meters. The site sits on high and well-drained land, with the highest point about 1.5 meters above the surrounding terrain. The Sixi River surrounds the site on its eastern, western, and northern sides. The stratigraphic layers at the center of the site are divided into six levels, from top to bottom: the first layer is from after the Song Dynasty, the second from the Tang and Song periods, the third is the Spring and Autumn–Warring States Qi jiadun cultural layer, the fourth is the Western Zhou Tinglin-type cultural layer, the fifth is the Liangzhu culture layer, and the sixth is the Songze culture layer. The two excavations discovered one Songze culture tomb, one storage pit, four Liangzhu culture tombs, two wells, one Warring States tomb, two Tang tombs, and five Song wells.

The human skeleton in the Songze culture tomb was well-preserved, with no burial objects found. One storage pit had a nearly square opening, approximately 1.2 meters on each side, containing fish bones and animal bones—it is believed to have been used for food storage. The Liangzhu culture tombs were all small single burials, with individuals lying flat on their backs with straight limbs, heads facing south and faces turned east. Each tomb contained between two to seven pottery items as burial goods, usually placed near the lower limbs. Tomb No. 3 belonged to an elderly woman; in addition to six pottery pieces including a tripod, a double-spouted pot, a basin, a dou vessel, and a jar, a small jade tube was also found in her mouth. Tomb No. 4 included a double-spouted pot with cloud-thunder patterns, curvilinear patterns, and circular vortex designs incised on the neck—exquisitely crafted. The two wells were both cylindrical in shape, about 2 meters deep, with traces of bamboo and reed on the walls, indicating remnants of bamboo and reed well rings. The Warring States tomb had decomposed human remains, with burial objects arranged in a north–south orientation, including stamped hard pottery jars, black pottery basins, and primitive celadon bowls. The hard pottery jars featured checkered patterns, while the celadon bowls had yellowish-green glaze, deep straight bodies, and spiral patterns inside—representative styles of hard pottery and primitive celadon from that period. Two small Tang tombs contained brick-inscribed epitaphs dated to the 4th year of Qianfu (877) and the 2nd year of Yongtai (766). Burial items included celadon-glazed jars, dark-glazed four-handled ewers, and celadon double-handled ewers. Among the Song wells, Wells No. 1 and No. 2 retained good structural integrity, with a depth of 380 cm and diameter of 90 cm. There were 11 layers of brick-lined well rings, each consisting of seven bricks laid askew in sequence, and the bottom was paved with large flat bricks. The lower part of Well No. 4 yielded four Longquan kiln qingbai-glazed ceramics: one li tripod, two long-necked bottles, and one melon-ribbed ewer. These celadons feature elegant shapes and lustrous glazes, offering high research and aesthetic value.

Pollen analysis conducted on samples from the site’s stratigraphic layers reveals the vegetation and climate conditions during different periods: during the Songze culture period, the area was mainly covered by mixed evergreen–deciduous forests, with a warm and humid climate. In the Liangzhu culture period, the vegetation consisted of coniferous–deciduous mixed forests dominated by deciduous trees, with a temperate and dry climate. During the Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods, the climate tended toward cool-dry or temperate-dry with cooler tendencies, shifting in the Tang, Song, and later periods to warm and humid conditions.

Designated as a protected cultural heritage site of Shanghai Municipality in 1977.