Survey and Trial Excavation of a Neolithic Site at Dakou, Jungar Banner, Inner Mongolia

Abstract

Dakou Cun is about 35 km southeast of Shajidu Zong and 7 km northeast of Mazha, north of the Yellow River on the southern edge of the Ordos Plateau. Hequ Xian, Shanxi, is just across the Yellow River to the east, and Fugu Xian, Shaanxi, is about 5 km to the south. The site is about 1.5 km southwest of Dakou Cun on a terrace some 30 m above the bed of the river. It has an area of 200 m west to east and 150 m south to north. In its southeastern part, the soil is sandy and the artifacts are extensively eroded out of the site. Sherds are mainly scattered on the surface. The central and western parts, with a better [-preserved] cultural deposit, have been planted in rice. Burial urns have often been unearthed in the process of cultivation. The excavation was conducted in the western part of the site, where the cultural deposit is thicker. The 140 m2 area excavated (fig. 1) yielded the remains of two houses (Fl and F2), a semicircular pit (Hi), seven burial urns (Wl-W7), three adult burials (Ml-M3), more than 20 pots, and more than 100 stone and bone artifacts. In the western wall sections Ti and T2 (for example), the deposit has the following layers: (1) a cultivated, plowed layer, yellow, 10-20 cm thick; (2) a layer of black soil with charcoal, soft and loose, 10-35 cm thick, with many sherds and, in the lower part, the three burials; (3) a layer of grey, windblown soil, harder, 30-60 cm thick, with more sherds, the habitation floor (covered with a white limy substance) of Fl, and burial urns W1, W2, and W6; (4) a layer of brown soil, hard, 30-50 cm thick, with the foundation of Fl and burial urns W3, W4, W5, and W7; (5) a layer of grey soil, 30-95 cm thick; and (6) a layer of black-brown soil, 20-90 cm thick. Since the pottery of Layers 5 and 6 differs in shapes and materials from that of Layers 3 and 4, we consider these the remains of two different phases of the Dakou culture. The second phase, that of Layers 3 and 4, is the main source of finds from this excavation, producing the remains of a house, the urn burials, and the grave burials.