Banpo facts for kids
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半坡
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Reconstructed diorama of a village at Banpo
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 Location in Continental Asia
Location in China
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| Location | Shaanxi, China |
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| Coordinates | 34°16′23″N 109°03′04″E / 34.273°N 109.051°E |
| History | |
| Founded | 4700 BCE |
| Abandoned | 3600 BCE |
| Periods | Neolithic China |
| Cultures | Yangshao culture |
Banpo is an ancient village site in China. It's from the Neolithic period, also known as the New Stone Age. This important archaeological site is found in the Yellow River valley. It is located east of the modern city of Xi'an.
Archaeologists discovered Banpo in 1953. It shows the first part of the Yangshao culture. This culture existed from about 5000 to 3000 BCE. Banpo had several well-organized settlements. One of these, Jiangzhai, dates back to about 4700 to 3600 BCE. The village covered about 5 to 6 hectares (12 to 15 acres). A ditch, like a moat, surrounded it. This moat was about 5 to 6 meters (16 to 20 feet) wide. Houses at Banpo were round. They were made of mud and wood. They had low foundations and roofs made of thatch. People also had shared burial places here.
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Exploring the Banpo Village Site
The ancient village of Banpo was protected by a moat. This ditch helped defend the settlement. Graves and pottery kilns were outside this moat. Many houses were partly underground. Their floors were about 1 meter (3 feet) below the surface. Timber poles supported the houses. They had steeply sloped thatched roofs.
When Banpo was first studied, some researchers thought it was a matriarchal society. This means women would have held the main power. However, newer research suggests this might not be true. Archaeologists are still learning about Banpo. They don't yet know much about its religious or political systems.
Today, you can visit the Xi'an Banpo Museum. It was built in 1957. The museum helps protect the ancient artifacts found here.
What Was the Banpo Culture Like?
Banpo is the main site for the Banpo culture. This culture was the first stage of the Yangshao culture. Other ancient sites that look similar to Banpo are part of the "Banpo phase." This phase lasted from the 4th to 3rd millennium BCE. Archaeologists dug up Banpo from 1954 to 1957.
How Did Banpo People Make Pottery?
The people of Banpo were the first in China to use the potter's wheel. Other cultures at that time still built pottery by coiling clay. The potter's wheel became common in China later. Banpo also had the first pottery kilns in China. Kilns are special ovens for baking clay.
The pottery designs from Banpo were often geometric. They also showed animal or human-like shapes.
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An ancient pottery kiln from Banpo.
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Pottery made on a potter's wheel at Banpo.
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A traditional cordmarked amphora from the Banpo phase.
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Unique Designs and Symbols
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Banpo is famous for its special decorative pottery. It often had a red clay coating. Black geometric drawings covered the pottery. These designs often showed a round human head. Fish shapes were usually around the head. The human head had a triangular design on top.
Similar designs have been seen in other cultures. These include the Afanasievo culture and Okunev culture in Siberia. Pottery styles from the Yangshao culture spread far. They went west to the Majiayao culture. Then they reached Xinjiang and Central Asia.
Some pottery pieces have special symbols. These are part of the Neolithic signs in China. But each sign appears alone. This means they were likely not a written language. They might have been personal marks for each potter.
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A pottery pot with human and fish designs.
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A bowl from Banpo with a human face and fish design.
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Another example of a Banpo human-like design.
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An ancient burial site at Banpo.
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Symbols found on Banpo pottery.
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See also
- Banpo symbols
- Sanxingdui
- Cishan culture
- Nanzhuangtou
- Jiangzhai
- Yangguanzhai
