This archaeological site is almost entirely filled with snail shells!

Thin, fat, round, pointy

This archaeological site is almost entirely filled with snail shells

Area: about 42,000 square meters

The thickest accumulation of snail shells is more than 6 meters high.

Different sizes and shapes

Archaeologists conduct classification work at the site of Gucheng Village in Yunnan (photo taken on November 24, 2022). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Guansen

On February 15, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage issued

Important progress of the 2023 "Archaeology China" major project

The five projects are from

Hebei, Yunnan, Gansu, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia

Revealed that thousands of years ago

Rich cultural relics from the Neolithic Age to the Song and Yuan Dynasties

Among them, the ruins of the ancient village of Jinning, Yunnan

It provides important clues for exploring the origin of Dian culture

The site is located on the southeast bank of Dianchi Lake.

It is a well-preserved large lakeside shell mound site.

A large number of snail shells with their tails broken

Alternating with ash and soil layers

Snail shells in the ruins

The vast area, the thick accumulation, the large number

Spectacular and amazing

2020

Yunnan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

The site was discovered during archaeological work in cooperation with infrastructure construction

Since 2021

With the support of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage

Yunnan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and relevant units in Jinning District

Active exploration

So here comes the question

Where do these snail shells come from?

Why can snail shells accumulate so thickly?

According to Zhou Ranchao, the archaeological leader of the Gucheng Village site,

This may be what the ancients "developed through eating" over the years!

Snail meat can supplement protein

Bone awls, fish bones, copper awls and other tools unearthed at the same time

It may also be the "exclusive utensil" used by ancient people to enjoy snail meat.

besides

The unearthed pottery is also very distinctive

In the Shang Dynasty, pots, cauldrons and bowls were used as a combination.

During the Western Zhou Dynasty, pots, cauldrons, bowls, plates, and bases were used as a combination.

Expert speculation

These pottery are most likely tableware

In addition to the "foodie" feature

This site actually has a lot of history

Dian culture is the most representative archaeological culture of Yunnan in the Bronze Age

Archaeological excavation of the ancient village ruins

Provides the latest materials for studying the origin of Dian culture

Zhou Ranchao, leader of the archaeological team at the Yunnan Ancient City Village Site and deputy research curator of the Yunnan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, is sorting out cultural relics unearthed from the Yunnan Ancient City Village Site (photo taken on November 24, 2022). Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Guansen

According to Zhou Ranchao

The ancient city village site is the first to be found in the core area of ​​Dian culture.

A complete moated settlement from the Shang and Zhou dynasties discovered

Distinctive cultural characteristics

To construct the archaeological cultural system of the Shang and Zhou dynasties in Yunnan

Before the emergence of Dian culture

Settlement forms, livelihood patterns, and ethnic composition in the Dianchi Lake area

and other important issues such as the environmental changes of ancient Dianchi Lake

Provided key materials

Currently, the collation and research of excavation data are underway.

The next step will be to continue proactive exploration and multidisciplinary research

Explore the subsequent protection, display and revitalization of the site

More amazing "ancient wisdom"

Stay tuned!

Source: Xinhua News Agency

The cover image and the images in this article are from the copyright library

Reproduction of image content is not authorized