Wangyin Site

　　The site is approximately 2 kilometers east of the ancient Si River, with an ancient river channel to its north. The central part of the site covers an area of 60,000 square meters, while the outer edge spans 120,000 square meters, making it a relatively large site. From autumn 1975 to autumn 1978, the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences conducted seven excavations at the site, uncovering an area of 10,180 square meters. These excavations revealed 899 Neolithic tombs, 14 house foundations, and 423 ash pits. A large number of stone, pottery, bone, jade, shell, tooth, and horn artifacts were unearthed, as well as numerous animal remains.

　　The Wangyin Site is divided into five layers, with the second to fourth layers belonging to the early period of the Dawenkou Culture, and the fifth layer corresponding to the late period of the Beixin Culture. All the tombs discovered at the Wangyin Site are located within the Dawenkou Cultural layers. The burial style is predominantly supine, with extended limbs, and there is a certain proportion of joint and secondary joint burials, while side and flexed burials are relatively rare. The tomb area of the Wangyin Site is one of the largest prehistoric cemeteries in China and the clan communal cemetery with the most discovered tombs. The excavation at the Wangyin Site focused mainly on the tomb area, with a large, well-preserved living area still intact. The production tools, daily utensils, tomb offerings, and subtropical animal remains unearthed from the Wangyin Site provide important physical evidence for studying prehistoric living customs, burial methods, human physical characteristics, and the prehistoric environment.

　　The Dawenkou Culture and Beixin Culture reflected at the Wangyin Site provide crucial stratigraphic evidence for establishing the lineage between the two cultures. The excavation data from the Wangyin Site has been compiled into the archaeological monograph “Shandong Wangyin” by the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and published by Science Press.

　　In 2006, the Wangyin Site was listed as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit (sixth batch) by the State Council as an ancient site from the Neolithic period.