Pukou Yingpan Mountain Site

Pukou Yingpan Mountain Site

Yingpan Mountain is located near Yangbeimen in Sanhe Township, Pukou District, Nanjing, about 5 kilometers south of the Yangtze River. It is part of the northern bank’s riverside hills. The site lies on the mountain’s northern slope, with an explored total area of over 4,000 square meters. It is a communal burial ground from a primitive clan society dating back more than 5,000 years. From November 1982 to January 1983, the Nanjing Museum conducted excavations here, uncovering an area of 265 square meters. The graves were arranged in an east-west row, totaling 31 tombs that were excavated. The burials were orderly, all oriented north-south, with most heads facing south. Most were single inhumations in a supine extended position, while six were double burials. Over 600 funerary objects were unearthed, including stone tools, pottery, and jade artifacts. The stone tools were polished and had a relatively smooth finish, with rectangular stone adzes being the most numerous. Perforated stone axes came in various forms such as tongue-shaped, rectangular, and “wind”-shaped. The pottery included a wide variety of vessel types and diverse styles, comprising a set of cooking, serving, and eating wares. Among them, the ?-shaped ding tripod with upturned handles, open-mouth globular jars, high-necked folded-body hu pots, shallow dishes with raised nodes, and goblet-shaped cups were all items rich in cultural character. Jade artifacts made up nearly half of the total funerary goods, finely crafted, and included types such as huang pendants, bracelets, rings, and various animal-shaped ornaments. The excavation of this site filled a gap in the Neolithic archaeological cultural sequence of the Ningzhen area.