Donghei Mountain Site

Donghei Mountain Site

Donghei Mountain Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Era: Warring States, Han

Donghei Mountain Site is located to the south of Donghei Mountain Village, Dawangdian Township, Xushui County, Hebei Province. It stretches approximately 800 meters from north to south and 1,200 meters from east to west, situated in the transitional zone between hilly mountainous terrain and the plain. The central and northern parts of the site are crossed by the Tianjin main canal of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, with an excavation area of 5,200 square meters. The site spans the Warring States, Western and Eastern Han, Tang, Song, Jin, and Yuan dynasties. Among these, the Warring States city site and the Western Han to mid-to-late period as well as Eastern Han remains are the most significant. In May 2013, it was designated as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

The main cultural elements of the site date back primarily to the Warring States and Han periods. A small city site from the Warring States period was discovered, along with 345 ash pits, 10 ash ditches, 13 house foundations, 7 wells, 19 tombs, and 8 roads from various periods. Over 500 artifacts made of pottery, iron, bronze, and stone were unearthed.

The unearthed relics are mainly pottery, along with items made of iron, bronze, and stone. Pottery types include bowls, jars, basins, dou (bean-shaped vessels), small-mouthed urns, pots, cups, and spinning whorls. The pottery materials consist of gray clay pottery, red clay pottery, gray-brown clay pottery, red pottery mixed with sand and clam shells, gray-brown pottery mixed with sand and clam shells, roof tiles, and tile fragments. Bronze items are mainly coins, including Ban Liang coins, Wu Zhu coins, as well as coins from the Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Bronze artifacts include arrowheads—most with iron tips and a few entirely made of bronze—as well as a bronze spoon with a gold-plated surface.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units