灵宝西坡遗址所见青灰色泥及相关问题探析

On the greenish-gray mud unearthed at the Xipo site and the related questions

灵宝西坡遗址是仰韶文化中期大型中心性聚落的典型代表,西坡遗址的历次考古发掘中,在大中型建筑基址和墓葬中均发现有使用青灰色泥或青灰色草拌泥的现象,罕见于其他史前遗址。经过分析,本文认为西坡遗址的3座“蓄水池”应当是用来制作青灰色泥的澄泥池,所产出的泥料主要作为建筑材料用于房屋建造,西坡建筑基址在居住面、坑壁、墙壁等部位涂抹、铺垫青灰色细泥和草拌泥的现象,在使用方式和功能上与后来大规模流行的白灰面建筑较为接近。西坡墓葬中的青灰色泥主要来自经简单处理后的河边湿地淤泥,其主要功能不是防腐,而是用作葬仪中的“道具”,这是仰韶文化中期晚段西坡社会人群所特有的一种阶段性集体意识取向,等级略低的墓葬可能还存在着模仿大墓葬仪的情况。

The Lingbao Xipo site serves as a representative example of large-scale central settlements during the middle Yangshao culture. Archaeological excavations at Xipo have revealed the prevalent use of greenish-gray mud or greenish-gray grass-mixed mud in the construction of large and medium-sized architectural bases and tombs, a practice that is uncommon in other prehistoric sites. Analysis suggests that the three“cisterns”at the Xipo site were likely utilized as pools for clarifying greenish-gray mud. This mud was primarily used as a building material for constructing houses. The application of green-gray mud and grass-mixed mud on the living surfaces, pit walls, and walls of the Xipo architectural base site can be considered as a pioneering instance of prehistoric white-gray surface construction in China. Similarly, the usage of green-gray fine mud and grass-mixed mud on various parts of the building site at Xipo can be seen as a precedent for prehistoric white-gray surface construction in China. The greenish-gray mud found in Xipo tombs mainly originates from river wetland silt that underwent simple treatment. Its primary purpose is not for antiseptic purposes but rather as symbolic elements within funeral rituals, representing a distinct collective consciousness of the Xipo social groups during the middle and late Yangshao culture. It is possible that there are instances of imitating the funeral rituals of higher-grade tombs within the tombs of slightly lower grades.