The Banlashan Cemetery of Hongshan Culture in Chaoyang City, Liaoning

Abstract

Abstract In 2014 to 2016, Liaoning Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and Longcheng District Museum of Chaoyang City conducted rescue excavation to the Banlashan (Half Hill) Cemetery. This cemetery was carefully designed and constructed, on the ground of which earthen mounds were built up and the burials and sacrificial facilities were all arranged on these mounds. In the late stage of the use of this cemetery, functional zoning appeared: the burial zone was in the south of the cemetery and the sacrificial zone was in the north. In total, 78 burials, one sacrificial altar, one architectural foundation and 29 sacrificial pits were recovered, from which pottery wares, stone implements and jades were unearthed. The discovery of this cemetery, especially the concentrated discovery of sacrificial remains, gave us a brand-new understanding to the functions and structures of the cairn cemeteries of the Hongshan Culture and provided important evidences for the studies on the ancient funeral customs.