Banshan

The Banshan - Machang culture (Chinese半山-马 厂 文化, pinyin Banshan - Mǎchǎng Wenhua, English Banshan - Machang Culture) was a late Neolithic culture in the area of ​​the Upper Huang He ( Yellow River ) in Gansu and Qinghai in northwest China.

The various eponymous sites were first separated in 1923 Banshan (半山) Hezheng (和政) ( Gansu Province) and Machangyuan (马 厂 塬), Minhe (民和) ( Qinghai Province) discovered. The sites were initially the Majiayao culture (referred to as the Yangshao culture from Gansu ( Gansu Wenhua Yǎngsháo ) ) attributed to, but their pottery with colored decoration has many differences relative to that of Majiayao on.

The culture was distributed mainly in the catchment area of the rivers Tao He (洮河) and Daxia He (大 夏河) in Gansu and the Huang Shui (湟 水) in the province of Qinghai. Agriculture was the main economic factor, there were stone knives, stone axes and arrowheads used in bone. To domestic animals there were pig and dog.

Among the hand-made pottery, the forms are hú (壶), Weng (瓮), Guan (罐) and pén (盆) encountered. The ceramic with colored decor is very developed. For the decoration of ceramics from Banshan colors to be red and black, in addition they are often edged with saw-tooth patterns. The ceramic with colored decals from Machang used it often red in color, shape and ornamentation are the very close of Banshan, they resemble an earlier and later stage of development of the same culture. According to the radiocarbon dating method is the Banshan - Machang culture in the time of about 2500 to 2000 BC. dated.

The Machangyuan - site ( Machangyuan Yizhi马 厂 塬 遗址) in the Autonomous District Minhe Hui and Tu is on the list of monuments of the People's Republic of China ( 3-191 ) since 1988.