Xiaiaizhuang Site

　　    The site is located 1 kilometer west of Xiaiaizhuang Village, 22 kilometers west of the county. It is a raised terrace, with a small gully to the south and an ancient riverbed to the east. It measures 100 meters from north to south and 70 meters from east to west, covering an area of 7,000 square meters. Research has identified it as a cultural site dating from the Longshan period to the Shang Dynasty.

　　    From April 23 to May 1, 1973, under the guidance of experts from the provincial museum, the Anyang Regional Cultural Relics Training Class conducted a trial excavation at the site. The excavation results showed that the cultural remains were divided into six layers: the first and second layers belong to the Shang Dynasty culture, the third and fourth to the pre-Shang culture, and the fifth and sixth to the Longshan culture.

　　    The Longshan layer is 0.65 meters thick and contains three circular lime-plastered house foundations, stacked in nine layers. The upper four layers are coated with lime plaster, while the lower five are hardened by fire. These layers shift gradually southward from bottom to top. The lime-plastered foundations are round, with diameters of about 3 to 4 meters. The lime coating is relatively thin, approximately 0.5 to 0.7 centimeters, smooth and flat. At the center of each foundation lies a circular hearth, 0.6 to 0.7 meters in diameter, reddish-black in color, smooth, and hard. Around the lime-plastered areas, there are remnants of walls and three postholes. A wealth of artifacts was unearthed, with pottery being either clay or sandy clay. The decorations include checkered patterns, basket weave patterns, string patterns, and appliqué ridges. The vessel types include li tripods, dou stem bowls, flared-rim basins, flat-bottomed basins, deep-bellied basins, straight-walled cups, and more. Stone tools consist of stone axes, stone sickles, and stone spades, all finely crafted from bluish limestone through grinding, with flattened and wide bodies, rounded cutting edges, and signs of use. Bone artifacts include bone hairpins and bone arrowheads, along with oracle bones, animal bones, and clam shell fragments.

　　    The pre-Shang layer is 1.15 meters thick and contains four circular ash pits. The fill soil includes many pottery shards. The shard decorations feature cord patterns, basket weave patterns, checkered patterns, and appliqué ridges. The vessel types include gui food vessels, ding tripods, urns, li tripods, jars, basins, cups, dou stem bowls, and vessel lids. Stone tools include perforated stone sickles, stone spades, stone chisels, grinding stones, and scrapers. Bone tools include bone knives and bone awls, all finely polished. Additionally, animal teeth and bones from cattle, deer, and pigs were found.

　　    The Shang Dynasty layer is 0.95 meters thick, with two pits and one ash pit excavated. The unearthed pottery shards are of both clay and sandy clay types. Gray pottery dominates, followed by polished black pottery, with red pottery rarely seen. The decorations include cord patterns, string patterns, and appliqué ridges. The vessel types include li tripods, jars, dou stem bowls, basins, pots, urns, and ding tripods. Stone tools include stone chisels, stone spades, stone knives, as well as deer antlers, clam shell fragments, and animal bones from cattle and pigs.