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史前/古代文化與文明小檔案 –– 開欄文
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我最近讀到兩篇介紹文化/文明的報導。由於我在寫一篇討論建劬兄《走出歐洲中心主義的心路歷程 -- 命運共同體 VS 文明衝突論》的文章，順帶把它們轉登在此處做為參考資料。我不日會提出我對「文化」和「文明」淺見，在該文中將說明「文化/文明」一詞的用法。
過些時間，我會把關於中國考古工作的資訊整理一下，發表在此欄。
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懸棺族群與現存僰人遺傳關係 - 嚴勇/嶽冉冉
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「僰」的注音是 ㄅㄛˊ。
請參考：
The true origins of China’s mysterious hanging coffin tradition revealed through ancient DNA
古DNA揭開昭通“僰人”懸棺葬人群族屬之謎(2020)
絕壁開棺 破譯千古之謎
基因破解千年懸棺主人與現存人群遺傳關係
嚴勇/嶽冉冉，新華網，2025-11-25
在雲南昭通，考古人員在觀察記錄懸棺葬(資料照片)。新華社發
新華社昆明11月24日電(記者嚴勇、嶽冉冉)一項最新研究首次在核基因組層面證實，雲南丘北縣現代“僰人”群體正是古代懸棺葬主人的直系後裔，千年謎題“懸棺何來、僰人何去”由此獲得關鍵科學解答。
這項古基因組研究由中國科學院昆明動物研究所牽頭，聯合國內外多家研究機構完成，成果於近日發表在國際學術期刊《自然-通訊》上。
懸棺葬是一種世界罕見的高空葬俗，即將棺木安置于臨江臨崖的峭壁、洞穴或岩縫中，古代僰人被認為是川滇交界區域行懸棺葬的族群。據史籍記載，僰人自西漢以來活躍於川滇交界的四川宜賓、雲南昭通等地，曾建立“僰侯國”，其獨特的懸棺葬俗在明代後逐漸淡出記載。
雲南丘北縣至今仍生活著自稱“僰人”的群體，並保留“靈魂洞葬”祭祀傳統，但二者關聯一直缺乏科學依據。近年來正在崛起的古DNA分析技術為破解謎題提供關鍵鑰匙。
古基因組研究項目負責人中國科學院昆明動物研究所研究員張曉明介紹，科研團隊對雲南、廣西及泰國北部7處遺址的15具懸棺人類遺骸進行基因組DNA分析，並對丘北30名現代“僰人”開展高深度全基因組測序。
研究顯示，現代“僰人”基因組中約43%-79%成分可直接追溯至昭通懸棺人群。這是首次在核基因組層面確認“懸棺主人”與現存人群的直接遺傳聯繫。
論文共同通訊作者之一、長期跟蹤研究雲南昭通懸棺葬的中國科學院昆明動物博物館研究員吉學平認為，傳統形態學研究提供的資訊非常有限，新的古基因組技術為追蹤研究古代人群的遺傳譜系和交流融合路線提供了強大支撐。
研究還系統重建了懸棺葬的起源與擴散路徑。多項分析表明，懸棺習俗源自中國東南沿海地區，福建武夷山極有可能是其發源地。該葬俗隨後沿長江及其支流西進至雲貴高原，並進一步向南傳播至東南亞。泰國懸棺個體與中國西南懸棺個體共用祖源，說明懸棺文化的傳播伴隨著人群遷徙。
值得注意的是，在雲南昭通威信縣瓦石懸棺遺址中，兩具距今約1200年遺骸分別呈現黃河流域農耕人群與古代東北亞相關遺傳成分，卻採用同一葬法。論文第一作者、中國科學院昆明動物研究所博士周慧分析，這反映了唐代懸棺社群已具備顯著的文化包容性與人群融合特徵，是中華民族多元一體形成過程的“常態”。
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印度河流域文明衰亡的原因 -- Science Desk
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Why did the Indus Valley civilisation collapse? Researchers may finally have the answer
A breakthrough study claims to have solved the centuries-old mystery of why the Indus Valley civilisation fell. The findings challenge long-held theories and reveal an unexpected force that reshaped an entire ancient world.
Science Desk, The India Express, 12/03/25
The findings represent a meaningful advancement in understanding the relationship between hydroclimate dynamics and the evolution of ancient civilisations, as noted by geoscientist Liviu Giosan from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. (Image: Unsplash) 當地景觀照片
At its zenith, the Indus Valley Civilisation, spanning much of present-day Pakistan and northwest India, was characterised by advanced urban planning, including gridded streets, multi-storey brick homes, and sophisticated sanitation systems boasting flush toilets. Beliefs suggest that the downfall of the Indus Valley Civilisation was due to a single mysterious or catastrophic reason, but a recent study has claimed that it was actually a series of prolonged droughts that led to the decline of the civilisation.
A study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment by an international research team utilised paleoclimate data and computer modelling to analyse the climate from 3000 to 1000 BCE. The findings highlighted that the downfall of Harappa, one of the most significant urban centres of the Indus Valley Civilisation, was not due to a singular catastrophic event, but rather a series of prolonged droughts that lasted for centuries, leading to desiccation of rivers and soils.
As lead author, Hiren Solanki, from the Indian Institute of Technology at Gandhinagar elucidated, these recurring droughts likely prompted the Harappans to frequently relocate in search of more viable living conditions. Co-author Balaji Rajagopalan, a hydrology researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder, emphasised that although droughts played a critical role, they were compounded by factors such as diminished food supply and a fragile governance structure, which collectively pushed the society towards decline and dispersal.
Despite these daunting challenges, the Indus Valley Civilisation demonstrated resilience over approximately two millennia. The researchers noted that the Harappans adapted by switching agricultural practices, diversifying trade, and strategically relocating settlements closer to reliable water sources, particularly along the Indus River and its tributaries. This adaptability hints at crucial lessons about proactive planning, diversified water management, and sustainable agricultural systems – insights that remain pertinent for contemporary societies grappling with climate change. To simulate the climate conditions of that era, the study integrated model outputs with environmental indicators, such as stalactites and stalagmites from Indian caves and water level data from several Indian lakes, providing a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing the decline of one of history’s most remarkable civilisations.
Between approximately 3000 and 2475 BCE, a significantly vigorous monsoon season spurred by cooler tropical Pacific Ocean conditions led to increased rainfall across the region, resulting in wetter conditions than those observed today. Rajagopalan emphasised that this La Niña-like climate allowed for the establishment of settlements near areas with ample rain. However, as the tropical Pacific began to warm in the following centuries, the region experienced drier conditions characterised by reduced rainfall and rising temperatures, culminating in periods of drought.
Major droughts
The research team identified four major drought events, each spanning over 85 years, occurring between 2425 and 1400 BCE. Notably, the third severe drought peaked around 1733 BCE, which lasted approximately 164 years and impacted nearly the entirety of the region. The analysis revealed an overall temperature increase of 0.5 degree Celsius (0.9 degree Fahrenheit), along with a rainfall decrease of 10 per cent to 20 per cent.
The resultant hydrological changes had significant consequences, leading to the shrinkage of lakes and shallow water bodies (playas), diminished river flows, and soil desiccation, as articulated by co-author Vimal Mishra and his team. These shifts hindered trade activities reliant on river navigation and made agriculture more challenging, particularly in areas distant from waterways. This forced populations to migrate, which may have contributed to the decline of their societies.
The findings represent a meaningful advancement in understanding the relationship between hydroclimate dynamics and the evolution of ancient civilisations, as noted by geoscientist Liviu Giosan from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Previous studies relied on limited geological data to evaluate rainfall patterns, whereas this comprehensive study integrates diverse records to illustrate the water cycle’s broader effects. This methodology could also provide insights into other ancient river-dependent cultures, such as those in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China.
Giosan highlighted the unforeseen implications of droughts on settlement patterns within the Indus territory, suggesting a framework for archaeological testing. He reflected on the resilience of these civilisations during sustained climatic challenges, noting the relevance of these findings to contemporary society, which may face similar climatic stresses. Rajagopalan noted that understanding the future fluctuations of tropical Pacific Ocean temperatures will have critical implications for regional rainfall patterns, posing significant questions for future climate research.
相關閱讀
Pristine 70-million-year-old dinosaur egg unearthed in Patagonia; hints at ancient breeding ground
Enormous prehistoric Maya site found in Mexico reveals early understanding of the universe
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榆林喬家寨石城新報導 -- Tim Newcom
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本欄上一篇報導刊出日期為2025/03/31；下文則為2025/11/28。此外，下文在報導外還加了些分析與解說；雖然談不上學術性，對增長常識不無助益。
Archaeologists Discovered 573 Ancient Fortresses Hidden in the Mountains
Some of the ancient buildings, located along China’s mountaintop rivers, dated back to as far as 2800 B.C.E., with others were remnants of the country’s dynasties.
Tim Newcom, 11/28/25
Archaeologists Found 573 Mountaintop Fortresses Xuanyu Han - Getty Images 請至原網頁觀看石城遺址
Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:
* Archaeologists in China discovered 573 ancient stone fortress settlements in the mountains near Yulin.
* The prehistoric fortresses are each located near key water features, and some are connected to additional settlements.
* There’s a varying complexity to the sites, but the researchers believe they likely show a social hierarchy.
Nestled in the mountains outside of Yulin (榆林), China, are 573 previously undiscovered stone fortress settlements, some dating as far back as 2800 B.C.E.
According to a report from the Global Times, Yulin’s cultural heritage and archaeology team spent six years surveying China’s Shaanxi Province to locate the sites, some from the Yangshao (仰韶) period starting in 2800 B.C.E., others from the Shang Dynasty (商朝，1600 to 1046 B.C.E.), and still another group of settlements dating to the Zhou Dynasty (周朝，1046 to 221 B.C.E.).
The stone fortresses were located along rivers, which is how researchers were able to locate them. The team followed water system maps into the field, both in person and with aerial mapping, to locate and examine the sites. The highly defensive, stone-enclosed areas were sometimes settled next to what the team labeled as ordinary settlements without stone walls.
Ma Mingzhi (馬明志), head of the research team, told the outlet there was a clear relationship in the clusters between the stone-wall sites and those without. The non-fortified sites were often smaller than the settlements with the stone walls, indicating that the stone fortresses were the key draws for others to gather at the location.
Some of the finds were quite complex. Mingzhi said that all 573 of the locations ranged in size and with that came unique layouts and shifting construction techniques. Some fortresses were small and rudimentary in construction, while others, typically the newer builds, featured complex interior layouts and more advanced building capabilities. No matter the site, though, Mingzhi said there was a distinct social hierarchy visible within the sites.
The idea of building a walled settlement was common thousands of years ago. Doing so near a source of water was pretty much a necessity. Last year, archaeologists located a walled city in the northern Saudi Arabian desert that was likely home to 500 people as far back as 2,400 B.C.E., part of a growing urban complex with a sophisticated social hierarchy. Any time there’s multiple people in one place social hierarchy can enter the fray. In China, that seemingly occurred at least 573 times just in the Yulin area alone.
Mingzhi believes that the discovery of the 500-plus fortresses now opens a world of exploration in how prehistoric settlements in China expanded and changed over time. The new finds will help researchers trace the movement of society and culture, including the study of defensive architecture and community planning.
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榆林喬家寨石城 -- 陝西日報
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請參考：
榆林府穀發現三座遠古石城遺址 (人民日報海外版，2016/10/14)
Survey team discovers 573 ancient stone fortresses in NW China (新華社， 11/13/25)
索引：
四普
石峁遺址
仰韶文化
更新世
榆林新確認一處面積僅次於石峁遺址的石城遺址
陝西日報，2025-03-31
3月27日，記者從陝西省文物局獲悉：榆林市“四普”新登記文物點867處，其中史前和戰國到秦漢時期的城址占比較大。新發現並登記500處城址類遺址，規模從幾十萬平方米至百萬平方米不等。其中，喬家寨遺址與寨子山遺址被合併為喬家寨石城，其分佈面積僅次於石峁遺址，在考古學上具有重大價值。
榆林市“四普”隊隊長喬建軍介紹，在“三普”時，喬家寨遺址和寨子山遺址僅被當作兩個普通遺址點登記。而在“四普”中，借助先進測繪技術和無人機航拍，考古人員發現這兩個遺址不僅地域相連、遺存內容相同，還都存在石城址。
借助航拍等技術，考古人員發現喬家寨遺址呈三角形、寨子山遺址呈“品”字形，面積分別達164萬平方米和78.6萬平方米。從採集的陶片標本可知，石城址的時代跨越仰韶晚期至商、周，顯示出較長的歷史延續性。考古人員綜合考慮後決定將兩處遺址合併為喬家寨石城。
除城址類遺址外，普查隊還發現50餘處舊石器遺址和地點。經初步認定，考古人員已對其中18處進行了登記，主要有佳縣倍甘遺址、清澗上坪遺址等。這些遺址的時間跨度從12萬年前至1萬年前不等，均為以前未被發現的舊石器遺址。其中，專項普查隊在佳縣倍甘村發現面積接近1.4萬平方米的舊石器遺址，採集到石製品80餘件，初步推斷年代屬晚更新世中晚期。
截至目前，榆林市“四普”複查點為13883處，共完成複查“三普”文物點11694處，複查率達84%。特別是這次“四普”確認了秦、漢時期上郡、西河郡部分設縣的地望，如府谷富昌縣、橫山圜陰縣、米脂平周縣、靖邊陽周縣、佳縣的徒淫縣等，與榆林在秦、漢時期設郡縣進行管理的歷史事實吻合。
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6個古代文明的成就遠超我們想像-- Subhadra Srivastava
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請至原網頁觀看相關照片。
6 ancient civilisations that were far more advanced than we think
Edited By Subhadra Srivastava, 11/07/25
Each civilisation paired technical knowledge with social and administrative structures that allowed large projects and dense populations to flourish.
Introduction
Many familiar stories of human progress place technological and administrative breakthroughs in the modern era. In truth, several ancient civilisations developed systems and skills that rivalled, and in some respects surpassed, later achievements. Below are six societies whose urban planning, engineering, mathematics and governance show a level of sophistication that still surprises historians and engineers today.
Indus Valley: planned cities and sanitation
The cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro were laid out on regular grids with streets aligned to cardinal points. Houses were built from standardised fired bricks, and many contained private wells and bathrooms linked to covered drainage channels. Engineers created public baths and managed urban refuse, features more often associated with modern municipal services than Bronze Age settlements.
Sumer and Babylon: writing, law and irrigation
In southern Mesopotamia the development of cuneiform script enabled record-keeping, contracts and literature. State organisations coordinated large-scale irrigation networks that supported high population densities. Legal codification, epitomised by the Code of Hammurabi, and administrative accounting mark Sumer and Babylon as centres of early complex governance and jurisprudence.
Ancient Egypt: medicine and large-scale construction
Egyptian builders moved enormous stone blocks with remarkable precision to erect temples and pyramids, showing advanced knowledge of logistics and geometry. Medical papyri record surgical procedures, diagnoses and pharmacopoeia; Egyptian physicians applied practical remedies and performed operations long before comparable systematic medical texts appeared elsewhere.
Maya: mathematics, astronomy and urban planning
Maya astronomers recorded planetary cycles and refined a calendar system that matched celestial events with striking accuracy. They employed a positional vigesimal number system that included a symbol for zero, a conceptual leap crucial to later mathematics. Maya cities combined ceremonial architecture with carefully planned plazas and causeways aligned to celestial markers.
Ancient China: inventions that reshaped the world
Chinese thinkers and artisans produced durable and widely influential innovations: papermaking and woodblock printing enabled record transmission; the compass transformed navigation; Zhang Heng’s seismometer detected distant earthquakes; and early gunpowder and movable type would later change warfare and publishing. These inventions emerged from a continuous tradition of experimentation and state support for technical knowledge.
Angkor (Khmer Empire): hydraulic mastery and urban scale
The Khmer (高棉) capital around Angkor (吳哥) relied on an integrated system of reservoirs, canals and barays to control seasonal floods and supply water for rice cultivation across a vast territory. The hydraulic network supported one of the largest pre-industrial urban populations and underpinned monumental temple construction, showing an applied civil engineering comparable to later irrigation states.
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新發現金幣顯示一個未知的古文明 -- Tim Newcomb
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索引：
Bohemia：波西米亞
Celts：凱爾特人
Celtic Era Timeline
Celtic Nations
Who were the Celts?
Archaeologists Found a Hoard of Coins That Hint at an Ancient Civilization
Tim Newcomb, 10/14/25
Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:
* Archaeologists excavated hundreds of gold and silver coins in the Czech Republic they believe date back 2,500 years.
* The stash of coins features a mix of never-seen-before styles, some with animal depictions on them.
* Experts believe the large array of coins found apart from a settlement could be because the site was once a seasonal market.
Celtic-era gold and silver coins excavated in the Czech Republic may be leftover from ancient transactions at a seasonal market. Archaeologists located hundreds of 2,500-year-old coins, some with minting styles never seen before, creating a new mystery surrounding the site.
Located in the country’s Pilsen region to the west, the previously unknown Celtic site has been the subject of excavation for five years. Along with the coins, the team from the Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences said they also uncovered pieces of gold jewelry, several metal objects (bronze buckles, bracelets, and a horse figurine, for example), and even fragments of both gold and silver ingots.
“These could have played an independent role in the exchange,” David Danecek, archaeologist with the institute, said regarding the ingots in a translated statement from the Czech Republic, “but they could also have been mined under the supervision—with the consent—of the regional ruler.”
There’s still some mystery surrounding many of the coins that came from a previously unknown mint, a number of which depict animals. There’s enough intrigue for Daniel Stranik, an archaeologist from the Museum and Gallery of the Northern Pilsen Region in Mariánská Týnice, to note that the find “may change the current view of Celtic coinage in Bohemia.”
The discovery dates anywhere between the sixth and first centuries B.C.E. “The main goal of the project was primarily to save movable archaeological finds that are directly threatened by illegal prospectors, plowing, and natural influences,” Jan Marik, director of the institute, said in a statement. Treasure hunters wielding metal detectors are the reason the exact location is a secret.
The size of the previously unknown site mimics that of smaller regional centers in Austria or Moravia, but without clear evidence of a permanent settlement, its past use is unknown. “It could therefore be a place with a significantly seasonal nature of activities, during which people accidentally lost mainly small to very small objects, such as coins,” Danecek said. “The found chopped gold and silver ingots would also correspond to the commercial focus of the site.”
Already, the museum has started to show a small portion of the find, but the largest and most unique items are currently stored in a safe place, museum director Pavel Kodera said, and will only go on display after a “complete professional evaluation.”
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12,000年前的煙燻木乃伊 --- Hsiao-chun Hung
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Scientists Found the Oldest-Known Mummies. They Were 'Smoked.'
Hsiao-chun Hung, 09/16/25
Smoke-drying mummification of human remains was practised by hunter-gatherers across southern China, southeast Asia and beyond as far back as 12,000 years ago, my colleagues and I report in new research published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
This is the earliest known evidence of mummification anywhere in the world, far older than better-known examples from ancient Egypt and South America.
We studied remains from sites dated to between 12,000 and 4,000 years ago, but the tradition never vanished completely. It persisted into modern times in parts of the New Guinea Highlands and Australia.
Hunter-gatherer burials in southern China and Southeast Asia
In southern China and Southeast Asia, tightly crouched or squatting burials are a hallmark of the hunter-gatherers who inhabited the region between roughly 20,000 and 4,000 years ago.
Archaeologists working across the region for a long time have classified these graves as straightforward “primary burials”. This means the body was laid to rest intact in a single ceremony.
Hunter-gatherer burials in a crouched or squatting posture have been found across southern China and southeast Asia. Hung et al. / PNAS 請至原網頁查看本報導相關群聚分佈地圖
However, our colleague Hirofumi Matsumura, an experienced physical anthropologist and anatomist, noticed some skeletons were arranged in ways that defied anatomical sense.
Combined with this observation, we often saw some bones in these bodies were partly burnt. The signs of burning, such as charring, were visible mainly in the points of the body with less muscle mass and thinner soft tissue coverage.
We began to wonder if perhaps the deceased were treated through a more complicated process than simple burial.
A casual conversation in the field
A turning point came in September 2017, during a short break from our excavation at the Bau Du site in central Vietnam.
The late Kim Dung Nguyen highlighted the difficulties of interpreting the situation where skeletons were found, likely intentionally placed and seated against large rocks. Matsumura noted problems with their bone positions.
I remember blurting out – half joking but genuinely curious – “Could these burials be similar to the smoked mummies of Papua New Guinea?”
Matsumura thought about this idea seriously. Thanks to generous support and cooperation from many colleagues, that moment marked the real beginning of our research into this mystery.
How we identified the ancient smoked mummies
With our new curiosity, we began looking at photographs of modern smoked-dried mummification practices in the New Guinea Highlands in books and on the internet.
In January 2019, we went to Wamena in Papua (Indonesia) to observe several modern smoked mummies kept in private households. The similarity to our ancient remains was striking. But most of the skeletons in our excavation showed no outwardly obvious signs of burning.
We realised we needed a scientific test to prove our hypothesis. If a body was smoked by low-temperature fire – while still protected by skin, muscle and tissue – the bones would not be obviously blackened. But they could still retain subtle signs or microscopic traces of past firing or smoking.
Then came the COVID pandemic, which led to travel restrictions, preventing us from travelling anywhere. My colleagues and I were spread across different regions, but we sought various ways to continue the project.
Eventually, we tested bones from 54 burials across 11 sites using two independent laboratory techniques called X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. These methods can detect microscopic changes in the structure of bone material caused by high temperatures.
The results confirmed the remains had been exposed to low heat. In other words, almost all of them had been smoked.
More than 10,000 years of ritual
The samples, discovered in southern China, Vietnam and Indonesia, represent the oldest known examples of mummification. They are far older than the well-known practices of the Chinchorro culture in northern Chile (about 7,000 years ago) and even ancient Egypt’s Old Kingdom (about 4,500 years ago).
Remarkably, this burial practice was common across East Asia, and likely also in Japan. It may date back more than 20,000 years in Southeast Asia.
It continued until around 4,000 years ago, when new ways of life began to take hold. Our research reveals a unique blend of technique, tradition and belief. This cultural practice has endured for thousands of years and spread across a very broad region.
A visible form bridging time and memory
Ethnographic records show this tradition survived in southern Australia well into the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the New Guinea Highlands, some communities have even kept the practice alive into recent times. Significantly, the hunter-gatherer groups of southern China and Southeast Asia were closely connected to Indigenous peoples of New Guinea and Australia, both in some physical attributes and in their genetic ancestry.
In both southern Australia and Papua New Guinea, ethnographic records show that preparing a single smoked mummy could take as long as three months of continuous care. Such extraordinary devotion was possible only through deep love and powerful spiritual belief.
This tradition echoes a truth as old as humanity itself: the timeless longing that families and loved ones might remain bound together forever – carried across the ages, in whatever form that togetherness may endure.
Hsiao-chun Hung, Senior Research Fellow, School of Culture, History & Language, Australian National University
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考古學家發現5,500年前的梯形墓 - Tim Newcomb
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Archaeologists Found Trapezoidal Tombs Older Than the Egyptian Pyramids
Tim Newcomb, 07/15/25
Archaeologists Found Megalithic Trapezoid Tombs (梯形墓) Photos by R A Kearton - Getty Images 請至原網頁觀看照片
Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:
* Archaeologists in Poland discovered 5,500-year-old tombs dubbed “Polish pyramids.”
* The oversized graves feature earthen mounds in a trapezoidal shape, some stretching 656 feet in length.
* The scene offers glimpses into one of Europe first agricultural societies.
The new discovery of uniquely shaped “Polish pyramids” from 5,500 years ago highlights the distinct way early European agricultural societies buried their dead.
Discovered by a team from Adam Mickiewicz University using advanced remote sensing technology during routine field work, the team uncovered “mysterious ground embankments” before confirming them as long earthen tombs constructed during the Funnelbeaker culture of the Neolithic age, according to a translated statement from the Landscape Parks Complex of the Wielkopolska Voivodeship. To locate the tombs after the initial discovery, archaeologists employed aerial laser scanning followed by on-the-ground excavation.
Known as Polish pyramids—or “beds of giants”—the tombs located at the General Dezydery Chlapowski Landscape Park form an elongated trapezoid, with some stretching as long as 656 feet. This particular style of construction has the east end wider and taller than the west, creating a triangle shape or tail-like design from the tomb. Experts believe the use of the trapezoid shape is tied to the style of houses once used by nearby Neolithic cultures, according to the Polish Press Agency.
While the tombs rarely reach taller than 13 feet, the transparent size and design make them a distinct sight in Poland. The most recent find is only the second in the region, while more are known in northwestern Poland. Each tomb was typically covered with cobblestones and massive boulders were placed in front, some weighing as much as 10 tons, a show of the culture’s intricate teamwork and tool know-how to make happen.
“The largest boulders that formed the entrance of the tomb are missing,” said Artur Golis, chief specialist for nature and landscape protection from the park, according to the Polish Press Agency. He believes the stones were chipped away over the centuries for use by the residents in other projects.
While fields of the Polish pyramids typically offered a communal location for the region’s burials, only the most prominent folks within the society would get buried within the tombs. Each oversized tomb often only contained a single skeleton of a key leader, with the body placed in an upright position and surrounded by grave gifts. The tops of the pyramids were then covered with stones.
“Each generation built its own megalith, honoring the deceased who played a vital role in their community,” said Golis.
While no such skeletons were found in the most recent tomb discovery, archaeologists remain hopeful they can locate grave goods still buried nearby, most likely axes and pottery.
“These artifacts,” Golis said, “could provide further insight into the spiritual and daily lives of the Funnelbeaker people.”
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中國發現5,000年前皇族陵寢 – Chen Xi
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Ancient tomb discovery sheds new light on origins of Chinese civilization
Over 350 artifacts unearthed from 5,000-year-old tomb
Chen Xi, 10/15/24
The excavation site of the M27 tomb at the Wangzhuang site in Central China's Henan Province Photo: Courtesy of Zhu Guanghua 請至原網頁觀看照片
A large tomb dating back approximately 5,000 years was discovered at the Wangzhuang ruins in the city of Yongcheng, Central China's Henan Province, providing a new sample for studying the critical period of the origins of Chinese civilization, Chinese archaeologists told the Global Times on Tuesday.
The tomb has yielded over 350 artifacts, including hundreds of jade and pottery pieces, pig jawbones symbolizing wealth, and intricately decorated ivory ornaments, making it one of the largest and most artifact-rich tombs found from the Dawenkou culture period (4000 BC-2600 BC，大汶口), a culture of the late Neolithic Age, Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday.
The newly discovered M27 is a particularly large Dawenkou culture tomb with an area of over 17 square meters. The scale of the tomb suggests that the occupant held a prominent position, leading experts to speculate that it may have belonged to the monarch of an ancient state.
Zhu Guanghua, an associate professor at Capital Normal University who participated in the archaeological excavation, told the Global Times on Tuesday that it is the largest tomb in the Dawenkou period.
"It is interesting to note that the tomb was intentionally damaged by ancient enemy forces. Only a small number of human bones were found in the tomb, with no complete human skeleton discovered," he said.
"This discovery provides new evidence for the development trace in ancient kingdoms across various regions during the formation period of Chinese civilization around 5,000 years ago," Li Xinwei, deputy director of the Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
The media reported that the Wangzhuang site is a large settlement in the middle to late Dawenkou culture period. Since 2023, a joint archaeological team has been conducting archaeological excavations at the site.
Liu Haiwang, head of the archaeological team, told the Xinhua News Agency that in 2024, 45 Dawenkou culture tombs were newly discovered at the Wangzhuang site, and 27 of them have already been excavated. Some of these tombs appear to belong to high-ranking officials, presenting a number of valuable artifacts and pig jawbones representing wealth.
Among them, the M27 tomb measures about 4.8 meters in length and 3.68 meters in width. The tomb chamber, containing both an inner and an outer coffin, is very rich in burial objects, including various types of pottery and over 300 jade ornaments.
Liu said that the high-ranking tombs yielded stone ceremonial tablets and jade axes with strong ritual connotations, which had a profound influence on the ritual culture of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties and later periods. Notably, the discovery of this tomb highlights the initial form of imperial power in the prehistoric Central Plains.
So far, the Wangzhuang site has yielded over 1,000 artifacts. Based on the shapes of the findings, the cultural characteristics of the site are complex, with the main remains belonging to the Dawenkou culture, but also incorporating elements from the Yangshao (仰韶) and Liangzhu (良渚) cultures.
"The Wangzhuang site is a melting pot of multicultural exchanges, influenced by the cultures of China's eastern region and central region as well as the Yangtze River basin, while developing its own unique features," said Li, adding that the discovery offers an important specimen for the study of the integration of different regional cultures in prehistoric times.
Currently, the excavation of the site is still underway. Zhu said the cultural relics unearthed from the tomb have now been cleaned up, and the next step will be to extract them for more detailed research.
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考古學家新發現可能改寫歷史 - Tim Newcomb
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Archaeologists Discovered an Unprecedented Ancient Monument That Could Rewrite History
It’s practically impossible.
Tim Newcomb, 07/07/25
Jérôme Berthet, INRAP 請至原網頁觀看照片
Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:
* An archaeological find revealed in eastern France offers a never-seen-before mix of enclosures.
* The site was in use across at least three distinct time periods.
* Linked in part to burials, researchers hope further study reveals more about the site’s dating and purpose.
As if one ancient circular enclosure wasn’t enough to evoke intrigue at an archaeological find in Eastern France, three interconnected enclosures raised the bar.
In what the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap) is calling an “unprecedented” discovery in Marliens, France, near Dijon, excavations revealed a series of occupations on one site spanning from the Neolithic period to the First Iron Age.
Watch Full Video 請至原網頁觀看視頻
The oldest occupation features a monument with three interlocking enclosures. The center section offers a circular enclosure 36 feet in diameter, the largest in the bunch. To the north a smaller 26-foot-long horseshoe-shaped enclosure connects directly to the main center piece. To the south, a circular design remains open on one side, but still ties to the main circle. The team believes all three structures are linked together in both positioning and dating and that a gravel layer found on the two side enclosures suggests a fence was also present.
“This type of monument seems unprecedented and currently no comparison has been possible,” the research team says in a statement. A bundle of artifacts—including seven flint arrowheads, two archer’s bracers, a flint lighter, and a copper alloy dagger—discovered in the site’s ditches correspond to cut flints, suggesting attribution to the Neolithic period, potentially as far back as 10,000 BC to 2,200 BC. Radiocarbon analytics is planned to help determine exact dating.
The team located an armband with traces of iron oxide tied to pyrite, indicating it could have been used to light fires. These objects often accompany a burial, but the team couldn’t make that conclusion just yet in this case.
“Analyses of the composition of the copper alloy of the dagger should make it possible to establish its origin and provide us with information on commercial exchanges at that time,” the team writes.
In another location on the site, the team dates five circular enclosures—four open and one closed across a 64,000 square foot plain—between 1500 BC and 1300 BC. The remains of burials and a funeral pyre were found in the ditches of the largest enclosure, although the acidity of the soil didn’t allow the preservation of unburned bones, so the team was not able to find a complete burial. Dating based on five copper alloy pins, a necklace with 40 amber beads, and rare ceramic shards confirms the timing.
A First Iron Age occupation is also nearby, about 1,300 feet from the plain, this with urns and burial ornaments. Early Bronze Age wells sit nearby. An analysis of the clay layers at the bottom of the wells may provide information on the natural environment and landscape of the valley during the Bronze Age.
The team believes that with the analytics underway on the objects found at the site, combined with paleo-environmental studies, they will be able to “propose a scenario of the evolution of this territory over the ages.”
Tim Newcomb is a journalist based in the Pacific Northwest. He covers stadiums, sneakers, gear, infrastructure, and more for a variety of publications, including Popular Mechanics. His favorite interviews have included sit-downs with Roger Federer in Switzerland, Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, and Tinker Hatfield in Portland.
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