Gao Ya Site

Gao Ya Site

The Gao Ya Site is a cultural heritage protection unit of Henan Province.

The Gao Ya Site is located at both the eastern and western ends of Gao Ya Village in Gao Ya Town, Yanshi City, Luoyang, Henan Province, on the first and second terraces on the southern bank of the Yi River, covering a total area of approximately 1.055 million square meters.

The eastern part of the site has relatively gentle terrain sloping from south to north, and is roughly rectangular in shape, about 550 meters long from north to south and 480 meters wide from east to west, with a total area of about 260,000 square meters. The surface is widely planted with wheat, with deep cultural deposits and rich cultural content, and many artifacts are found on the surface. On the cliff in the northeastern part of the site, there are thick cultural deposits, with strata about 3–4 meters deep, containing gray-brown soil, fired soil particles, plant ash, and a large number of artifacts. Collected samples mainly include clay gray pottery, polished black pottery, and sand-tempered gray pottery, with decorations such as checkered patterns, cord marks, and dot patterns on the inner walls. Recognizable vessel shapes include deep-bellied basins and jars. This site was newly discovered during the third national cultural relics survey.

The western part of the site is about 700 meters south of Provincial Road 320, with National Highway 207 passing along its eastern side. The site is approximately triangular in shape, with a maximum length of 1,700 meters from east to west and a width of about 1,000 meters from north to south, covering an area of about 795,000 square meters. The ground is scattered with a large number of pottery fragments, including clay brown pottery and sand-tempered red pottery, with decorations such as basket weave, checkered patterns, cord marks, and plain surfaces. Vessel types include bean pots, high-necked jars, and basins. Ash pits have also been identified on the cliffs. This site was designated as a municipal-level cultural heritage protection unit in August 2003.

The eastern portion of the western section of the site is partially occupied by residential buildings of Gao Ya Village residents and by National Highway 207, while the rest is currently used as farmland. In the northeastern part of the eastern section of the site, there is an abandoned brick and tile kiln that has somewhat damaged the site’s integrity. Due to years of natural erosion by wind and rain, soil erosion, air pollution, and environmental degradation, the site has suffered a certain degree of damage. Additionally, the site is situated on the Yi River terrace, close to villages, with a national highway running through the middle. Moreover, the local population's awareness of cultural heritage protection is relatively weak, and their production and daily activities, along with other human factors, have caused varying degrees of damage to the site itself. Both the integrity of the site and the surrounding environment have been significantly affected, making protection and management urgently needed.

The site has rich cultural content, encompassing cultures from several periods including the Peiligang, Yangshao, Longshan, Erlitou, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, providing important physical materials for studying the production and living conditions of the ancient inhabitants in the Yi River basin at that time.

Gao Ya Village: Gao Ya Village…… More details about Gao Ya Village++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units