Tiger Mound Site

Tiger Mound Site

The Tiger Mound Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Tiger Mound Site is located in Zhonggang Village, Gaohu Town, Jing’an County, Jiangxi Province. It is a typical mound site, about 2–3 meters higher than the surrounding rice fields, with a current area of approximately 4,300 square meters.

The site was discovered in 2007. From autumn to winter in 2009–2011, three archaeological excavations were carried out at the site, covering a total area of 1,241 square meters. These excavations revealed a rich array of cultural remains from the middle Neolithic to the Ming Dynasty, including 121 late Neolithic burials, eight Han–Jin tombs, 83 ash pits, 32 sacrificial pits, eight house foundations, and one road. A large number of artifacts were unearthed.

The Neolithic remains at the Tiger Mound are the most abundant and significant, and can be divided into four phases. Among them, the remains of Phases I, III, and IV can be clearly identified as belonging to new cultural types, while those of Phase II are closely related to the Fan Chengdui Culture and the Zhengjiatao type of the Xuejiagang Culture. Phase I, dating back approximately 8,000–7,600 years, features a small number of house foundations, roads, and ash pits. A large number of pottery items and a small number of stone tools were unearthed, with pottery types including incurved-rim basins, high-necked jars, double-handled jars, and ring-footed plates, along with a small amount of painted pottery. Phases II to IV, dating from around 4,600–3,800 years ago, represent late Neolithic remains. The remains are dominated by elevated platform burials, with a small number of houses and ash pits also found. A large number of pottery and stone tools, as well as a small number of jade artifacts, were unearthed.

During the Zhou Dynasty, a small number of house foundations and ash pits were found. The Han–Jin period is primarily characterized by tombs, among which Eastern Han tombs are relatively large and yielded a wealth of pottery, along with some porcelain, bronze, iron, and stone artifacts. The Ming Dynasty remains include a small number of ash pits and tombs.

The Neolithic remains at the Tiger Mound are novel and unique, with a long continuity, clear evolutionary sequence, and relatively definite chronology. They largely fill the gaps in the prehistoric cultural sequence of Jiangxi Province and establish a chronological benchmark for the study of Neolithic culture in the region. At the same time, the Neolithic cultural remains at the Tiger Mound exhibit a diverse character, showing varying degrees of connection with surrounding cultures during their development. This makes them highly valuable for studying the progress of civilization and regional cultural patterns in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and southern China. In addition, the Zhou Dynasty and Eastern Han tomb remains at the Tiger Mound also hold considerable historical and research significance.

Address: Zhonggang Village, Gaohu Town, Jing’an County, Jiangxi Province

Opening Information: Limited Access

In 2019, the Tiger Mound Site was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Source: Jiangxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism

Zhonggang Village: Zhonggang Village... More details about Zhonggang Village++

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units