关于仰韶文化的若干问题

SOME PROBLEMS CONCERNING THE YANGSHAO CULTURE

一、引言仰韶文化是我国考古学研究上重要课题之一。因为它正处于我国原始社会发展的一个重要阶段,我国古代民族文化关系发展的一个重要阶段。不言而喻,这一课题的研究具有重要的学术意义和社会意义。仰韶文化的发现,是本世纪二十年代初的事情,但大量的资料积累和有关诸问题的探索,还是解放后进行的。

Based on the studies of archaeological data obtained in recent years, the present paper is divided into ten sections in which the author discusses the following problems concerning the Yangshao Culture.1. Types of Culture. The author believes that it is necessary to make a careful study of the contents of both the Pan P'o and Miaotikou types of the Yangshao Culture. By examing the cultural characteristics of some of their type sites, he seeks to prove that each of them had its own history of development and that the courses they took were somewhat parallel to each other and marked by many common features. Rejecting the prevailing theory that they represent two different stages of the Yangshao Culture, he holds that they were contemporaneous with each other and were mainly distributed in the area between Shanhsien in Honan Province and, Paochi in Shensi Province. They also differ from each other in regard to origin cultural content, and economic life. Although they both had a rather highly developed agriculture, the Pan P'o site is further characterized by the abundance of tools used in such workas felling trees, fishing and hunting, and sewing animal skins.2. Dating and Periodization. On the basis of the stratigraphical evidence obtained from several type sites in Shensi and Honan Provinces, the author discuses their chronological relations with one another. According to him, the remains of these sites can be divided into two stages and each stage may be further divided into two or three sub-stages.3. Social Organization. By examing the changes which took place in the technological achievements and economic life of the Yangshao People the author comes to the conclusion that these two stages of the Yangshao Culture correspond to two different stages of the matriarchal society. In the earlier stage the matriarchal society was still at the height of its development but in the later one it had already begun to disintegrate.4. Distribution and Division. Remains of the Yangshao Culture centre around central Shensi, southern Shansi, western Honan and some adjecent regions, extending westward to eastern Ch'inghai, eastward to central Honan, southward to northwestern Hupei, and northward to southern Inner Mongolia. With Shanhsien serving as a dividing Point, its main area of distribution can be divided into two parts, one in the east and the other in the west, both showing some strong regional characteristics. Apart from those features which suggest that the remains of these two parts probably developed from different sources, the difference between the earlier and later stage is more pronounced in the eastern part.5. Relations with Other Primitive Cultures. Of particular interest are its relations with the Machiayao Culture of Kansu and the Ch'ing Lien Kang and Ta Wen K'ou Cultures of southern Shantung and northern Kiangsu. The Machiayao Culture developed under the influence of the Yangshao Culture or perhaps directly from the latter. The earliet Machiayao remains are found in eastern Kansu but the remains of its Ma Ch'ang type of a later date have been found as far west as the western end of Kansu Province. This shows that the Yangshao Culture had always exerted a great influence over the Machiayao Culture and the two had both moved in a westward direction. The earlier stage of the Yangshao Culture was probably contemporaneous with the earlier stage of the Ch'ing Lien Kang Culture and the two had contacts, although not very close, with each other. In its later stage, the Yangshao Cuture of the eastern area came under the strong influence of the later stage of the Ch'ing Lien Kang Culture.