Tangjiagang Site

Tangjiagang Site

The Tangjiagang Site is a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

Era: Neolithic Age

The Tangjiagang Site, located in Anxiang County, Changde City, Hunan Province, is an ancient site from the Neolithic Age. Archaeologists discovered an earthwork moat dating back approximately 6,000 years at the Tangjiagang Site in Anxiang County. In May 2013, it was designated and announced by the State Council as part of the seventh batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level. Among the early features, a pottery monkey head was unearthed from ash pit 0, featuring carved eyes, nostrils, and mouth, with a distinctly prominent snout and brow ridge — an artifact of primitive society.

In the middle period, there were nine ash pits and two burials. Stone tools from this period include axes, pellets, pounders, and polishers. Among the pottery, the proportion of sand-tempered red pottery increased, while that of clay-based dark brown pottery with black surfaces decreased, and a small amount of gray clay pottery appeared. The quantity of painted pottery slightly increased, with examples of red pottery adorned with white slip painted in red and brown hues. The decorative patterns included dot-line motifs, net patterns, swirls, and wavy lines. Other decoration methods involved impressed, incised, and stamped designs. The vessel types included round-bottomed and ring-footed items, such as jars, cauldrons, bowls, cups, plates, bean pots, lids, pads, and stands.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level