Taosi

Taosi

陶寺
Location in north China
Location	China
Region	Shanxi
Coordinates	35°52′30″N 111°30′29″E / 35.875°N 111.508°ECoordinates: 35°52′30″N 111°30′29″E / 35.875°N 111.508°E
Area	280 ha
History
Founded	c. 2300 BC
Abandoned	c. 1900 BC
Cultures	Longshan culture

A painted pottery jar excavated from the Taosi site. Exhibit of the Shanxi Museum.

Taosi (Chinese: 陶寺; pinyin: Táosì) is an archaeological site in Xiangfen County, Shanxi, China. Taosi is considered to be part of the late phase of the Longshan culture in southern Shanxi, also known as the Taosi phase (2300 BC to 1900 BC).

Archaeology

Taosi was surrounded by a gigantic rammed-clay enclosure. This was discovered from 1999 to 2001 by the archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; they attributed this wall to the Middle Taosi period (4,100 to 4,000 BP). Rectangular in form with an inner area of 280 ha.^[1]

An internal rammed-earth wall separated the residential and ceremonial areas of the elite from the areas inhabited by commoners, signifying the development of a stratified society.^[2][3]

The Huaxia settlement outgrew the perimeter of the wall.

The settlement is the largest Longshan site discovered in the Linfen basin, Yellow River basin area, possibly a regional center. The settlement represents the most political system on the Central Plains at the time. The polites in the Taosi site are considered an advanced chiefdom, but may not have not developed into a higher political organization. It was not the Taosi polites but, the less socially complex Central Plains Longshan sites, the scattered, multi-system competing systems that gave rise to early states in this region. ^[4]

Ancient "observatory"

Taosi also contained an astronomical observatory, the oldest in East Asia.^[5]

This was discovered in 2003-2004. Archaeologists unearthed a Middle Taosi period semi-round foundation just beside southern wall of the Middle Taosi enclosure, which could be used for astronomical observations. The structure consists of an outer semi-ring-shaped path, and a semi-round rammed-earth platform with a diameter of about 60 m. The platform is 42m in diameter and over 1000 sq m in area. It can be reconstructed as a three-level altar.

Standing in the center of the altar and watching through the slots, one can find that most of slots respectively orientate to a given point of the Chongfen Mountain to the east.^[6]

Necropolis

The cemetery of Taosi covered an area of 30,000 square meters (3ha) at its height.^[7]

The cemetery contained over 1,500 burials. The burials at Taosi were highly stratified (the most stratified of Longshan sites), with burial wealth concentrated in the graves of a few males (nine large graves). The largest graves were placed in separated rooms with murals, had a large cache of grave goods (some with over 200 objects, including jades, copper bells, wooden and crocodile skin musical instruments); middle-size graves featured painted wooden coffins and luxury objects; most of the small graves did not have grave goods.^[8] A single bronze bell was also found at a Taosi grave.

Emperor Yao connection

Some Chinese archaeologists believe that Taosi was the site of a state Youtang (有唐) conquered by Emperor Yao (traditionally c. 2356–2255 BC) and made to be his capital.^[9]

According to some Chinese classic documents such as Yao Dian (Document of Yao) in Shang Shu (Book of Ancient Time), and Wudibenji (Records for the Five Kings) in Shiji (Historic Records), the King Yao assigned astronomic officers to observe celestial phenomena such as the sunrise, sunset, and the evening stars in culmination in order to make a solar and lunar calendar with 366 days for a year, also providing for the leap month. The observatory found at Taosi just coincides with these records.^[10]

On the other hand, Western scholars tend to believe that emperor Yao is a mythical figure.

It is believed that the city collapsed with a rebellion against the ruling class.^[11][12][13]

Notes

1. He Nu, Wu Jiabi (2005), Astronomical date of the "observatory" at Taosi site. Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (IA CASS)
2. He 2013; Ren 1998; Zhongguo et al. 2005
3. Higham, C.; Higham, T.; Ciarla, R.; Douka, K.; Kijngam, A.; Rispoli, F. (2011). "The Origins of the Bronze Age of Southeast Asia". Journal of World Prehistory. 24 (4): 227. doi:10.1007/s10963-011-9054-6.
4. Liu, Li (2005). The Chinese Neolithic: Trajectories to Early States. p. 191.
5. David Pankenier, et. al (2008), The Xiangfen, Taosi site: A Chinese Neolithic 'observatory'?. Archaeologica Baltica 10
6. He Nu, Wu Jiabi (2005), Astronomical date of the "observatory" at Taosi site. The Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (IA CASS)
7. 书略*追远略*古DNA显示：现代汉族就是古代中原人的直系后代
8. K.C.Chang in Cambridge History of Ancient China, 1999, p.60.
9. 尧的政治中心的迁移及其意义
10. He Nu, Wu Jiabi (2005), Astronomical date of the "observatory" at Taosi site. The Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (IA CASS)
11. 论陶寺古城的发展阶段与性质
12. 从陶寺遗存看中国早期国家之形成——中国早期文明研究札记之五
13. 从陶寺遗址考古收获看中国早期国家特征

References

• Chang, Kwang-chih. The Archaeology of Ancient China, ISBN 0-300-03784-8
• He, Nu and Wu, Jiabi. Astronomical date of the "observatory" at Taosi site
• Higham, Charles, The Bronze Age of Southeast Asia, ISBN 0-521-56505-7
• Liu, Li. The Chinese Neolithic: Trajectories to Early States, ISBN 0-521-81184-8