Zhoutai Site

Zhoutai Site

The Zhoutai Site is a protected cultural heritage site of Hubei Province.

Zhoutai Site

Located in Zhoutai Village, Xinglong Town, Zaoyang City, the Zhoutai Site is a relic from the Neolithic Age and the Zhou Dynasty. It spans approximately 1,500 meters from east to west and about 600 meters from north to south, covering an area of around 900,000 square meters, with a cultural layer between 0.6 and 2.5 meters thick. Excavations in 2002 revealed one Neolithic dwelling, five urn burials, and a range of artifacts including stone tools such as stone shovels and stone knives, as well as pottery predominantly made of gray clay, sandy red clay, and lesser amounts of black clay. Decorative patterns mainly featured cord marks, followed by basket weave patterns, with smaller quantities of string patterns, incised lines, and appliqué. Artifacts included tripods, dou (stemmed bowls), ring-footed plates, bowls, curved-belly cups, jars, basins, and urns. Additionally, 25 ash pits, three ash ditches, three dwellings, four wells, and three tombs from the Zhou Dynasty were discovered. Artifacts unearthed included stone axes, adzes, shovels, chisels, knives, arrowheads, drills, as well as bronze knives, arrowheads, iron scrapers, and pottery spinning whorls used in production. A large number of daily-use pottery items such as tripods, dui (round vessels), hu (jars), li (tripod cauldrons), yan (steamers), zeng (steaming vessels), gui (food containers), and dou (stemmed bowls) were also found. The site covers a large area, has rich content, and holds significant academic value.

Source: Hubei Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Hubei Province