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Revision as of 16:30, 12 April 2006 by Neilc (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Banpo (Ban-po-ts'un) (半坡) is the site of a Neolithic village located near Xi'an, China. Banpo is the most famous archaeological site associated with the Yangshao culture. Archaeological sites with similarities to the first phase at Banpo are considered to be part of the Banpo phase (5000 BC to 4000 BC) of the Yangshao culture. Banpo covers an area of around 50,000 square meters. According to Marxist historiography, Banpo is considered to be a matriarchal society. This is implied by the fact that women's tombs seemed to have more and better grave furniture Kaplan AP04
Many of the houses were semisubterranean with the floor typically a meter below the ground surface. The houses were supported by timber pole and had steeply pitched thatched roofs.
The site is believed to have been active during the time of the development of the Chinese written language. Pottery found at the site included early forms of many of the characters.
Banpo village is now open to tourists. The museums contain ancient artifacts, including pottery and hunting tools.
See also
References
- Chang, Kwang-chih. The Archaeology of Ancient China, ISBN 0300037848