The excavation of the Dadianshan Cemetery in Changning, Yunan

Abstract

AbstractIn 2012, 198 burials were excavated in the Dadianshan Cemetery site in Changning County, Yunnan. The striking differences in burial structure and grave goods of these burials suggest that the cemetery was used by two different ethnic groups. The structure of the burials can be classified into earthen cave burials, earthen pit burials and urn burials. The first type has never been seen in the Bronze Age archaeology of Yunnan. They yielded rich assemblage of grave goods predominantly comprising bronze artifacts, the main types of which were sabers, spearheads, bracelets, yue-battle axes, swords, buckles, etc. They were likely associated with the ancient Ailao people of the late Spring-and-Autumn to late Warring-States Periods. The second burial type was prevalent in Bronze Age Yunnan. These burials yielded small number of or no grave goods. In addition to bronze, the grave goods assemblage also comprised of iron, bimetallic, stone and pottery artifacts. They were likely associated with the Di and Qiang people during the mid Warring-States Period to the late Western Han Dynasty.