The Nan Chen Site

The Nan Chen Site

The Nan Chen Site is a Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Nan Chen Site is located in Nan Chen Village, Dulankou Town, Chiping County, and is now a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit.

The site was discovered in the mid-1970s, with a grayish soil surface and large amounts of pottery shards scattered around from the Longshan to Han dynasties. In the autumn of 1980, the Department of Archaeology at Shandong University's History Department, the Liaocheng Regional Cultural Bureau, and the Chiping County Library jointly excavated the Nan Chen Site.

The site covers an area of nearly 80,000 square meters, with rich cultural content and a stratigraphic deposit approximately 2.5–3.2 meters thick. It spans a long period from the Longshan culture through to the Han dynasty, though the Longshan culture remains the most typical. A large number of stone, bone, and shell tools were unearthed, mainly including stone axes, stone knives, bone chisels, horn awls, and shell sickles. Pottery was predominantly sandy gray ware, followed by black and gray earthenware, with small amounts of red and brown pottery. Eggshell pottery was occasionally found, with thicknesses as fine as 0.1 cm. Representative artifacts include deep-bellied jars, urns, wide-mouthed jars, basins, bowls, cups, and vessel lids. Additionally, remains from the Shang, Zhou, Warring States, and Han periods were also discovered.

The location of the Nan Chen Site is highly significant. As a contact zone between the Shandong Longshan Culture and the Henan Longshan Culture, it serves as an important site for exploring the relationship between the two cultures. Notably, the simultaneous discovery of Yueshi and Erlitou pottery shards at the site marks the first such occurrence in western Shandong, providing new clues for studying the relationships between the Dongyi and Xia peoples.

[Related Link] The Yueshi Culture (1900–1500 BCE) succeeds the Shandong Longshan Culture and precedes the Shang Culture.

The Erlitou Culture is an archaeological culture situated between the late Neolithic period and the Shang Culture. It is named after the Erlitou Site in Yanshi, Henan, where its remains are most typical. Since the Erlitou Culture predates the Yanshi Shang remains and its distribution overlaps with regions traditionally associated with the legendary Xia people, it is considered one of the key cultures for researching Xia civilization. Some scholars believe the Erlitou Culture is the Xia Culture itself. On December 7, 2006, the Nan Chen Site was designated as part of the third batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units by the People’s Government of Shandong Province.

Nan Chen Village: Nan Chen Village…… More details about Nan Chen Village++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units