Age: Neolithic Age
Excavation units: Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Institute of Archaeology, Qinghai Province.
Introduction:
The Qijia cultural site discovered in Minhe County, Qinghai Province, western China has attracted people's attention. There are abnormal human bones and houses covered with cracks and folds, which have been proved to be traces after the earthquake and flood. It reveals the catastrophic events in the upper reaches of the Yellow River around 4000 years, and finds some evidence for ancient flood legends.
From August to June, 2000/kloc-0, the Gan Qing team of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences cooperated with the Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Qinghai Province, and continued to excavate the Qijia cultural site in Lajia Village, which is located on the bank of the Yellow River in Guanting Basin at the southern end of Minhe County, Qinghai Province, revealing an area of more than 700 square meters, with many important discoveries, adding new achievements to the archaeology of Guanting Basin. Evidence of newly discovered earthquakes and floods, and determine the stratigraphic relationship accumulated at the disaster site; New signs of Little Square were discovered, foundation pits, sacrificial pits and burial pits were cleared, and important relics such as Founder bones and Jade Oracle bones were unearthed; The newly discovered well-preserved cave-like structure, location and distribution pattern, as well as the fireplace for baking food, put forward a new understanding of the settlement form. The excavation shows that the earthquake caused a disastrous blow to the site, while the flood caused a devastating impact on the site. The scientific significance of the discovery of the disaster remains in Lajia site goes far beyond the scope of archaeology, which puts forward a new topic for interdisciplinary research and in-depth environmental archaeology research.
Some experts believe that the tombs found in Zhongzhuang Village, Dahua Township, Huangyuan County, Qinghai Province are the tombs of the Queen Mother of the West and her people.
The tombs belong to the period of Kaga culture. Kaga culture was first discovered in Kaga Village, Huangzhong County, Qinghai Province. This kind of culture is the largest and most widely distributed indigenous culture among all kinds of ancient cultural sites in Qinghai Province, reflecting the Qiang and Rong tribal cultures in the Bronze Age 3,500 years ago. Experts pointed out that the Qiang and Rong tribes in this period were "the motherland of the Western Queen Mother" recorded in historical books.
Up to now, more than 40 cultural sites in Kaga have been discovered in Huangyuan County, among which Dahuazhuang excavation site is named "Kaga Cultural Dahuazhuang Type" because it is quite different from similar tombs in other areas and has new findings.
Li, director of the Propaganda Department of Huangyuan County Committee, told the reporter that among the more than 1000 cultural relics unearthed in Dahua Zhongzhuang18 tombs and two sacrificial pits, the most precious are the dog's head and four bronze statues that beat cattle and pigeons. The head of the dove is made of bronze, and the shape of the organ is cast on the beak of a giant bird, with two cows and a fierce dog on it, which is regarded by experts as the scepter of the Queen Mother of the West.
Scholar Cheng said that Huangyuan was once the Queen Mother of the West, and there were many Oracle Bone Inscriptions about "Queen Mother of the West" and "Sacrificing to the Queen Mother of the West" in Oracle Bone Inscriptions unearthed in Yin Ruins. Huangyuan County is the central area of the western motherland, which has become the academic knowledge. In addition, the bird-shaped scepter held by the Queen Mother of the West is also clearly recorded in ancient books. Therefore, the head of the scepter for dogs to play with cows and pigeons should be the scepter of the Queen Mother of the West.
Shi Jing, vice chairman of Qinghai Writers Association, believes that 34 bronze mirrors have been unearthed in Dahua Tomb, and the number is amazing. This is consistent with the story of Huangdi casting a mirror for the Queen Mother of the West recorded in Huangdi Neijing.
Experts believe that it is a common practice for kings' tombs to be built in the center of their ruling areas. Based on the comprehensive archaeological findings and classical records, it can be concluded that the owner of Dahuazhuang Tomb Group in Huangyuan is the Queen Mother of the West and her subjects.