The Jiangchengzi Site

The Jiangchengzi Site

The Jiangchengzi Site is located southwest of Zhengzhuang Village, Lanhua Township, Jiangpu County, Nanjing City. It is an important residential site from the Shang and Zhou periods within the Chu River system. The site is a typical mound-like earthen platform, standing at an elevation of 20 meters—5 to 8 meters above the surrounding terrain—with an irregularly shaped top. It stretches 90 meters from east to west and 70 meters from north to south, covering an area of over 6,000 square meters. It was discovered in 1961, and in the autumn of 1983, the Department of Archaeology at Nanjing University’s History Faculty, in collaboration with the Nanjing Museum, excavated the site, uncovering an area of 570 square meters.

The cultural deposits at the site generally accumulate to a depth of about 4 meters. These deposits can be divided into four successive phases: early Western Zhou, late Western Zhou, early Spring and Autumn, and late Spring and Autumn to early Warring States. The site includes large areas of red-fired earth remains or deposits across upper, middle, and lower layers, as well as storage pits and postholes, indicating long-term residential use.

During the Western Zhou period, large areas of red-fired earth and postholes were found. Among them, House No. 1 from the late Western Zhou was built on a layer of yellow soil higher than the surrounding ground. It consisted of three rectangular rooms aligned horizontally from east to west, forming a long, narrow structure. The interior had a red-fired earth floor, along with a hearth and some postholes. Within the living area, the skeleton of a juvenile was found, but no burial objects were present. Artifacts unearthed include pottery, bronze ware, ironware, stoneware, and bone or horn tools. Among the pottery, cooking vessels were mainly li tripods and ding cauldrons, with ding being rare; food-serving vessels commonly included basins, gui containers, dou stemmed dishes, bowls, and jars. Less common items were vats, zun cups, bottles, bowls, cups, and plates. The decorative patterns on the pottery were quite diverse and categorized by craftsmanship techniques into incised, appliquéd, and stamped designs. Stamped patterns were the most intricate, with dozens of varieties. Stone tools mainly comprised adzes, sickles, axes, chisels, knives, arrowheads, as well as stone ornaments, spindle whorls, and grinding stones.

In the early Spring and Autumn period, eight tombs were discovered, most with individuals buried in an extended supine position, and no burial objects were found. Three animal skeletons, curled up, were also unearthed. There was an increase in sandy red-brown pottery, a slight rise in hard pottery and proto-porcelain, and a decrease in clay pottery. Two narrow-bladed triangular bronze ge daggers were also found.

From the late Spring and Autumn to the early Warring States period, red-fired earth walls and mounds were discovered, along with the burial of a juvenile in a prone position. Pottery featured linen-textured patterns, and ironware as well as ant nose coins were unearthed.