Recreating the “multi-grid” layout: Why is the Baliqiao site in Fangcheng, Henan Province said to be the “throat station” of the Erlitou royal capital?

Where is the important core settlement in the south of the Xia Dynasty? Where is the important hub for the transfer and control of resources in the Erlitou capital? On September 13, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage Archaeology China released the progress of the archaeological site of Baliqiao in Fangcheng, Henan Province, describing the largest Erlitou cultural center settlement in southwestern Henan from the aspects of settlement layout, unearthed relics, and site value.

A "multi-grid" layout similar to the Erlitou site

The Baliqiao site is located in Chengzhuang Village, Zheyang Street, Fangcheng County, Henan Province, and on the west bank of the Pan River. It is named after the nearby Baliqiao. The site is located in the northeast corner of the Nanyang Basin, guarding an important passage from the Central Plains to the Jianghan Plain through the Nanyang Basin. Since ancient times, it has been an important area for cultural exchanges and collisions between the north and the south, and its strategic location is extremely important.

With the support of the major project "Archaeology China", since 2022, the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology has cooperated with the Nanyang Institute of Cultural Relics Protection and Research to carry out systematic archaeological work at the Baliqiao site and achieved important results.

Exploration shows that the site is a large moated settlement. The remaining length of the southern moat is 750 meters, the length of the western moat is about 1,800 meters, and the existing area is 1.35 million square meters. There are also large cultural relics of the same period on the east bank of the Pan River. The Baliqiao site is the largest Erlitou cultural center settlement in southwestern Henan, dating from the second to fourth phases of the Erlitou culture.

Eleven trench-like remains were discovered in the site, which are 8-12 meters wide and 2.5-3.7 meters deep, with mostly blank areas within 5-8 meters on both sides. These trench-like remains are crisscrossed and well-planned, dividing the southern area into five relatively complete blocks, presenting a "multi-grid" layout similar to that of the Erlitou site.

The site has unearthed a wealth of artifacts including pottery, stoneware, jade, divination bones, and turquoise.

According to Wang Hao, the person in charge of the archaeological excavation site of Baliqiao Ruins in Fangcheng, through archaeological excavation, a large number of complete pottery were unearthed from the ash pits of the site. They were exquisitely made and of high specifications. Most of them were polished black-skinned pottery, mainly wine vessels, food vessels, and storage vessels, as well as vermilion-painted stone human heads, jade-handled objects, turquoise, etc. The age is consistent with the rammed earth foundation, and they should belong to the sacrificial pits of rammed earth buildings.

In addition, four roads were discovered, one of which was 320 meters long. Clear traces of wheel tracks were preserved in some areas, and it was preliminarily inferred that there were seven groups of wheel tracks, with a spacing of about 85 cm, which is not much different from the 88-92 cm wheel track spacing at the Erlitou site, and the wheel track marks were 4-7 cm deep.

The southwestern part of the site is a wetland where many snail shells and silt were found. The southern end is close to the outer moat. The eastern end is connected to an east-west ditch that leads to the Pan River.

"The site has unearthed a wealth of relics, including pottery, stone tools, jade, divination bones, turquoise artifacts and other relics. The pottery combination and artifact characteristics are highly consistent with the Erlitou site, highlighting the strong influence and control of the Wangdu area over the Baliqiao site." Wang Hao told reporters.

In addition, the unearthed stone tools are mainly stone axes and stone chisels, and there are no agricultural production tools such as stone sickles and stone knives, which indirectly confirms the high standards of the rammed earth construction area.

What is particularly noteworthy is that a large number of turquoises were discovered, mainly in the form of inlays, with fewer ornaments and a small amount of waste, indicating that there may have been a handicraft industry at the site that mainly processed turquoise inlays.

Other relics unearthed include jade-handled objects, stone axes, vermilion-painted stone figures, and carved symbols, which reflect the spiritual life of the people at that time.

The settlement layout of the Baliqiao site fills the gap in the study of secondary central settlements

The Baliqiao site covers an area of ​​1.35 million square meters, with complete functional zoning, including rammed earth construction areas, handicraft areas, walls, roads and other facilities. High-level relics such as jade, divination bones, turquoise inlays, and bronze smelting remains have also been unearthed, all of which demonstrate the high social productivity and social status of the Baliqiao site, making it an important core settlement in the south of the Xia Dynasty.

The Baliqiao site was formed during the second phase of the Erlitou culture, which was the critical period when the Xia culture began to expand outward. The Xia culture crossed the Fangcheng Pass into the Nanyang Basin, built a large number of Erlitou culture settlements, and established a large central settlement near the pass. The Baliqiao site was used to control the south and ensure the safety of the capital. It was a key settlement established by the Xia Dynasty at a critical time and at a critical node.

The geographical location of the Baliqiao site is a key throat connecting the heartland of the Central Plains and the Jianghan Plain. It is an important security guarantee for the entry of southern copper, turquoise, cinnabar and other mineral resources into the royal capital area, and an important hub for the transportation and control of resources in the Erlitou royal capital.

The Baliqiao site is highly consistent with the Erlitou site in terms of settlement layout, functional zoning, pottery combination and artifact form, as well as spiritual life, which profoundly reflects the existence of a high degree of intrinsic connection between the Baliqiao site and the Erlitou site.

The settlement research of the Erlitou era mainly focuses on the Erlitou site. The settlement layout of secondary central settlements such as the Wangjinglou site and the Dashigu site is not very clear. The settlement layout of the Baliqiao site fills the gap in the research of secondary central settlements.