Neolithic Human Sites

　　 1. Xinghuo Mountain Immortal Tower Neolithic Site

　　 It is situated on the eastern terrace of a karst isolated peak in the Xinghuo Mountain range on the western edge of the Yao Guan Basin. The central-western part of the terrace features the Immortal Tower rock shelter, while the eastern part has two smaller rock shelters. Within an area of about 4,000 square meters on the rock-sheltered terrace, stone tools, pottery shards, and animal remains have been discovered.

　　 Among the stone artifacts, except for two crescent-shaped unperforated stone knives and a stone spindle whorl, all were made by percussion. These include scrapers and gouging tools. The pottery is predominantly sandy brown pottery, followed by sandy red and gray pottery. Artifacts include basins, jars, bowls, urns, and loop-handled vessels. Wheel-making was the primary technique. Decorations include incised lines, impressed patterns, jabbed punctates, and punctate dots, with coarse cord marks and undulating line patterns being the most common. Animal remains found include those of cattle, horses, and rhinoceros.

　　 Based on the fact that the majority of stone tools at the site were made by percussion yet there are also quite advanced polished items, and considering the pottery appears to represent different developmental stages, it is likely that the site was inhabited from the middle to the late Neolithic period.

　　 2. Shanyi Yanzi Foot Neolithic Site

　　 Located on a karst hill in Yanzi Foot Village to the southwest of Shanyi Dam in the northwest of the Yao Guan Basin, covering an area of about 7,000 square meters. During two surveys in February and August 1987, stone artifacts, pottery fragments, and mammal bone remains were discovered. Stone tools include polished trapezoidal stone axes, pounders, and percussion-made shouldered axe-like stone axes. Pottery is mainly sandy black and gray pottery, as well as some red pottery, fired at slightly higher temperatures, primarily handmade. Items include cups, teapots, basins, jars, and bowls, all with flat bottoms and characterized by small size and thin walls. Decorations consist of incised lines, impressed patterns, punctate dots, cord marks, basket weave patterns, and horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines.

　　 The Yao Guan Basin is located at the junction of the Manghuai-type culture east of the Lancang River and the Manguai-type culture west of the Nu River, but its exact age remains to be determined.

　　 3. Majia Yanfang Neolithic Site

　　 Situated on the rock-sheltered terrace and the sloping piedmont terrace to the southwest of Yanzi Foot in Shanyi Dam in the northwest of the Yao Guan Basin, approximately 500 meters east of the Yanzi Foot Site. The rock shelter covers an area of about 100 square meters, and the piedmont terrace is now covered by a village. During an August 1987 survey, several stone tools, pottery shards, and mammal bone remains were collected. Stone artifacts include pebble hand hammers, pounders, scrapers, and other percussion tools, as well as one fragment of a polished trapezoidal axe. The exact age remains undetermined.

　　 4. Shizi Mountain Neolithic Site

　　 Located on the second-level terrace extending eastward from Shizi Mountain on the southwestern side of Shi Dian Dam, in the northern end of the basin. The artifact distribution area covers about 3,000 square meters. Two surveys were conducted in November 1981 and January 1987, accompanied by exploratory trench excavations. The cultural layer is 40–60 cm thick and contains stone and pottery artifacts as well as red burned soil particles. Stone tools include strip-shaped, tongue-shaped, and trapezoidal stone axes, adzes, rectangular single-hole stone knives, spindle whorls, engraving tools, and perforated stone rings. Pottery includes sandy red, black, and gray pottery with relatively thin walls. Vessel types include tripods, bean pots, flat-bottomed jars, folded-belly basins, arc-bellied and nearly straight-walled lidded bowls. Decorations include carved triangular patterns, wave patterns, herringbone patterns, and horizontal and vertical line patterns. This site dates to the late Neolithic period.

　　 5. Songshan Neolithic Site

　　 Located on the summit of Songshan Mountain, 1 kilometer north of Taiping Xinghua Wanzipu, including four sites approximately 200 meters apart: Wanzipu, Songshan, Yang Zigao Tomb Area, and Laoheique Cave. The first three are gently sloping ridges formed by fluvial erosion, while Laoheique Cave is a karst cave. The total area is about 5,000 square meters. Surveys conducted in March and August 1987 uncovered 47 stone artifacts and over 70 pieces of sandy red-brown pottery. Stone artifacts were predominantly percussion-made, including single-flat-surface pebble hand hammers, choppers, scrapers, pointed tools, and polished stone axes. The design and features of the percussion stone tools are similar to those found at Puliang Tangzigou. All pottery is sandy red, very porous, and handmade. Vessel types include jars, basins, urns, and bowls, all with plain surfaces, uneven thickness, and low firing temperatures. This site likely dates to the middle or late Neolithic period.

　　 6. Tuanshanwo Neolithic Site

　　 Located on the small saddle-shaped mountain ridge of Tuanshanwo in Renhe, extending eastward from the foothills of Xishan Mountain in the central-western part of Shi Dian Dam. The artifact distribution area covers about 5,000 square meters. The cultural layer is 30–120 cm thick and contains numerous pottery shards, sintered earth, charcoal fragments, and stone tools. Pottery shards are especially abundant on the surface. Dozens of items were collected, including stone axes, shouldered adzes, single-hole stone knives, scrapers, and grinding stones; more than 130 shards of sandy red and red-brown pottery; and one bovine tooth fossil. Stone artifacts are finely and uniformly polished, showing refined craftsmanship. Pottery is primarily sandy red, fired at higher temperatures. Most vessels are flat-bottomed, ring-footed, flared-mouthed, or lidded. Except for a few special items and components made by hand, all were wheel-made. The vessels are neat with uniform thin walls; decorations are intricate and dense, with incised and impressed patterns as the main motifs.

　　 The stone and pottery artifacts at this site are among the most advanced found in the Nu River basin. Additionally, the presence of a pottery phallus — a symbol of male ancestor worship indicative of a patrilineal clan society — suggests the site may date as late as around 4,000 years ago.