Cishan Cultural Site

Cishan Cultural Site

The Cishan Cultural Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Cishan Site is located on the terrace of the Chanche River in Erjie, Cishan, Wu'an City. It is a Neolithic site from the early period in northern China, covering an area of approximately 30,000 square meters.

First discovered in 1973, the site represents a Neolithic culture predating the Yangshao era, dating back to around 5400–5100 BCE. Agriculture was the main mode of production at the time. The house foundations found at the site were all semi-subterranean structures. The storage pits discovered were mostly rectangular vertical earthen shafts, with the deepest reaching up to 7 meters. A large amount of carbonized millet ash was found in these pits. Among the grouped pits, the artifact assemblages included stone axes, stone knives, stone sickles, stone shovels, as well as stone grinding plates and rollers used for processing grain. Pottery items included basins and supports. The discovery of chicken, pig, and dog bones indicates that these animals had already been domesticated. In addition, a significant number of fishing and hunting tools were found. These findings suggest that the society at the time had an economic structure primarily based on agriculture, supplemented by fishing and hunting.

The pottery from the Cishan Site is mainly coarse, low-fired, sandy red pottery with mostly plain surfaces. The pottery was often made using the coil-building technique, resulting in irregular shapes. Surface decorations include cord marks, woven patterns, combing marks, and nipple motifs. Shapes include oval pottery pots, boot-shaped supports, basins, and bowls.

The Cishan Site features rich cultural strata and distinct local characteristics, providing extremely important clues for the study of the origins of agriculture and animal husbandry in China. On January 13, 1988, it was designated as part of the third group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.