The Zhajiaoshu Site

The Zhajiaoshu Site

The Zhajiaoshu Site is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Henan Province.

The Zhajiaoshu Site is located to the north of Zhajiaoshu Village in Guanlin Town, situated on a highland between the Yi River and the Luo River. It was discovered during Luoyang City’s first cultural relics survey in the early 1950s; in August 1993, the Municipal Cultural Relics Work Team, together with students from the 1990 class of the Archaeology Department of the History Faculty at Sichuan University, jointly excavated the site.

At the same time, Professor Zhou Kunsu from the Institute of Geology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences used this site as the starting point for his research project titled “Ancient Culture and Environment in the Yi-Luo River Basin.” He also served as the environmental archaeology advisor for the excavation team. This excavation uncovered 117 storage pits of the Erlitou type culture, five building foundations, one well, and one section of an ancient river channel.

Among the discoveries were large storage pits with sloped access ramps and rectangular semi-subterranean houses with wall niches—new finds within the Erlitou type culture. The wide variety of pottery, stone, and shell artifacts unearthed also included many types that were newly identified as belonging to the Erlitou type culture. Of particular note, the exposed strata on the cliff face at the southern edge of the excavation area revealed layered cultural deposits from the Erlitou culture through the Han and Tang dynasties. By comparing these layers, archaeologists obtained valuable data for studying the ancient ecological environment of the Luoyang Basin.

Category: Ancient Site

Period: Neolithic Age, Shang Dynasty, Zhou Dynasty

Address: North of Zhajiaoshu Village, Guanlin Town, Luolong District, east of Luolong Avenue

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Henan Province