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on september 22, at the symposium on the 70th anniversary of the naming of "hongshan culture", a shining star of chinese civilization, held in chifeng city, inner mongolia, major archaeological findings from the hongshan culture stone mound at yuanbaoshan in aohan banner, chifeng city were announced.

the jade dragon unearthed from the yuanbaoshan hongshan culture stone mound is 15.8 cm long, 9.5 cm wide and 3 cm thick. photo provided by the yuanbaoshan stone mound site archaeological excavation project team of the inner mongolia autonomous region cultural relics and archaeology research institute

panoramic view of the excavation of the yuanbaoshan hongshan culture stone mound. photo provided by the yuanbaoshan stone mound site archaeological excavation project team of the inner mongolia autonomous region cultural relics and archaeology research institute.

the northern circular mound of the yuanbaoshan hongshan culture stone mound. the yuanbaoshan stone mound site archaeological excavation project team of the inner mongolia autonomous region cultural relics and archaeology research institute. photo courtesy of the project team

researchers said that the outer wall of the circular stone mound in the north is 23.5 meters in diameter, and the diameter of the stone mound in the later period can reach 28 meters. the well-preserved northern mound wall has six to seven layers of stepped walls, with a remaining height of 0.4 to 2 meters. the outer circle mound boundary wall extends from the east and west sides to the south to form a straight wall, enclosing a square altar in the south, with a wall width of about 2.35 meters. the activity area inside the square altar is about 600 to 700 square meters.

in addition to the main body of the altar tombs, the remains of the hongshan culture period also include human bone remains, tombs, fire pits, cylindrical pits, etc. among them, some of the tombs contain large jade objects that represent the identity of the tomb owner, such as jade pig dragons, oblique-mouthed cylindrical objects, jade crown ornaments, and animal face ornaments with teeth.

in addition to a small number of jade artifacts unearthed from the tomb, most of the jade artifacts were unearthed above the tomb, inside and outside the southern wall of the tomb where the tomb and the altar intersect, such as inside the tomb wall, under the wall, and outside the large stone slab placed above the tomb. a total of more than 100 jade and stone artifacts were unearthed. according to the latest dating data, the remains are 5100 to 5000 years old and belong to the late hongshan culture.

the excavation of the yuanbaoshan stone mound is of great value and significance. it mainly includes:

·this is the first time that a tomb with a southern altar and a northern mound, combining burial and sacrificial rituals, has been discovered in inner mongolia autonomous region. it is the largest stone mound of the late hongshan culture discovered by archaeologists in inner mongolia autonomous region.

·the jade dragon unearthed from the tomb is the largest one unearthed by archaeological excavations so far.

·more than 100 jade artifacts of hongshan culture were unearthed at one time, basically covering most types of hongshan culture jade artifacts. at the same time, artifacts similar to the jade crown ornaments of lingjiatan culture were also found, filling the gap in the study of jade artifacts unearthed in archaeological excavations in inner mongolia. the unearthed jade materials, drill cores, jade fragments, etc. provide rich data for the study of hongshan culture jade processing technology, jade material sources and use.

·the remains of stone buildings at yuanbaoshan stone mound provide new clues for in-depth research and exploration of the stone city construction technology and the custom of hiding jade in the wall in the hetao region.

funeral jade artifacts unearthed from the yuanbaoshan hongshan culture stone mound. photo courtesy of the yuanbaoshan stone mound site archaeological excavation project team of the inner mongolia autonomous region cultural relics and archaeology research institute.

jade crown ornaments unearthed from the lingjiatan site in anhui province. photo provided by the yuanbaoshan stone mound site archaeological excavation project team of the inner mongolia autonomous region cultural relics and archaeology research institute

jade artifacts unearthed from the yuanbaoshan hongshan culture stone mound. photo courtesy of the yuanbaoshan stone mound site archaeological excavation project team of the inner mongolia autonomous region cultural relics and archaeology research institute.

according to experts, the yuanbaoshan stone mound and altar building, the hongshan culture tombs found in the mound and altar, and the large number of bottomless cylindrical objects of various shapes, jade objects, painted pottery, and clam shell objects unearthed are of great significance for in-depth understanding of the social form, organizational management, human-land relationship, and jade processing of the late hongshan culture, and for exploring the initial formation of the ritual civilization of the ancient hongshan country, the origin of the xiliaohe culture, and the application of the hongshan culture for world heritage.

hongshan culture is an archaeological culture of the late neolithic period in northern china. it originated around 6,500 years ago and entered the ancient civilization stage around 5,800 years ago. it is successor to the xinglongwa culture and zhaobaogou culture in western liaoning and is famous for its jade tradition and ritual architecture. it was formed through the continuous evolution and development of the integration and collision of various cultures in the central plains and northeast china.

in addition, the discovery process of the yuanbaoshan stone mound site in aohan banner is as follows:

·it was not registered in the second and third national cultural relics surveys.

·in 2015, fragments of cylindrical objects from the hongshan culture were discovered at the site due to tomb robbing, and some of the cultural relics were confirmed to be a hongshan culture stone mound.

·in 2021, the aohan banner museum officially erected a protection sign.

·in november 2023, a case of tomb robbery was filed again, and the aohan banner museum reported to the chifeng municipal cultural relics bureau.

·from march to april 2024, the cultural heritage bureau of inner mongolia autonomous region requested the inner mongolia autonomous region cultural relics and archaeology research institute to conduct an investigation and approve the implementation of rescue archaeological excavations. the inner mongolia autonomous region archaeology research institute applied to the state administration of cultural heritage for the rescue excavation and conducted a preliminary regional archaeological survey in the surrounding area.

·from may to august 2024, rescue archaeological excavations were carried out, and the overall picture of the tomb and altar has been basically revealed. the scope of some walls of the altar has been determined through trial excavations.

(guangming daily omnimedia reporters gao ping and wang xiao)