Liya Site

Liya Site

The Liya Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Period: Neolithic Age, Shang Dynasty, Zhou Dynasty, Han Dynasty

The Liya Site is located on a terrace on the west bank of the Fan River, at the confluence of the Fan River and the Niutou River to the north of present-day Qingshui County. It stretches from the Zhao Chongguo Tomb site in the southwest to the boundary of Chenjiagou in the northeast, spanning approximately 1.5 kilometers, and falls within the administrative areas of Baituyaya Village, Liya Village, and Yifang Village.

In the southwestern part of the secondary terrace of the Liya Site, there is an ancient city with visible remnants of city walls on the ground, known as the Baituyaya Ancient City, which is a County-Level Cultural Relics Protection Unit. To determine the age and nature of this ancient city, drilling and excavation of the site were first carried out.

All four tombs are vertical earthen pit burials, featuring either coffins with outer coffins or coffins alone. The tombs are oriented east-west (slightly north of west), with heads facing west. Tombs M5, M7, and M8 contain supine, extended burials, while Tomb M6 has a supine burial with slightly bent lower limbs. All four tombs have waist pits containing dog sacrifices. Tomb M8 has no burial objects, while the other three tombs contain pottery sets including li tripods, gui vessels, basins, and jars. These date to the Western Zhou period, with some pottery items showing distinct Shang-style characteristics.

In May 2013, it was designated and announced by the State Council as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units