Silver Gang Ancient Kiln Site

Silver Gang Ancient Kiln Site

The Silver Gang Ancient Kiln Site is a cultural heritage conservation unit of Guangdong Province.

The Silver Gang site is located on seven low hills to the south of Yinguang Village, Longxi Town, Boluo County. It dates back to the Zhou Dynasty. From 1996 to 1999, over 2,000 square meters were excavated, with the thickest accumulation reaching 1.3 meters. Four dragon kilns were discovered, each with a firebox at the front and a firing chamber at the rear. Other remains include ash pits, drainage ditches, and postholes. Judging from the alignment of the postholes, they may have belonged to circular house foundations, likely workshops for pottery making. The cultural strata can be divided into two phases. The first phase roughly dates to the Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods. Pottery unearthed was mainly made of clay, including jars, tripods, dou (food vessels), cups, bowls, bowls, pedestals, lids, boxes, spinning whorls, beads, rings, pads, stamps, and animal models. The decorative patterns featured net-like designs, checkered patterns, kui-dragon motifs, lozenge-patterned raised dots, wavy lines, comb-toothed dots, interlocking thunder-cloud patterns, swirls, mat textures, and wave patterns, among which many combined motifs appeared. Some items bore incised symbols. A small number were coated with soy sauce-colored glaze. The firing temperature was high. Other artifacts included bronze arrowheads. The second phase dates to the Warring States period. Pottery unearthed was also predominantly clay-based, but with a higher proportion of sandy clay than in the first phase. Artifacts included jars, cauldrons, boxes, bowls, cups, lids, bowls, tripods, basins, bottles, strings of beads, jade discs, tiles, roof tiles, spinning whorls, fishing net weights, pads, stamps, rings, and animal models. The decorative patterns included checkered designs, 米 (rice character) patterns, triangular grid patterns, net-like patterns, lozenge-patterned raised dots, interlocking thunder-cloud patterns, wave patterns, comb-toothed dots, and string patterns, along with a few kui-dragon motifs. Combined patterns were not common, though water wave and string patterns appeared frequently. Roof tile decorations featured checkered patterns, while roof tile ends had scroll cloud designs with a central cross. The variety and quantity of incised symbols increased. Some pieces were glazed in soy sauce color or bluish-green. Firing temperatures were very high. Other artifacts included iron spades and axes, as well as bronze axes and stone fishing net weights and whetstones. The stratigraphic relationship at the site confirms that deposits containing “kui-dragon pattern pottery” predate those with “米 (rice character) pattern pottery.” However, it remains unresolved whether kui-dragon pattern pottery continued into the period when 米 (rice character) pattern pottery emerged. Carbon-14 dating of charcoal-containing silt samples from the site indicates an age range of 1,930 to 2,390 years before present, providing reference value for determining the upper and lower limits of the site’s chronology. On July 17, 2002, it was listed as part of the fourth batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Heritage Conservation Units.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Heritage Conservation Units