Zhenba county Photo: VCG

A Neolithic (7000BC-1700BC) site has been uncovered in Zhenba county,MK sport Northwest China's Shaanxi Province in the fourth national cultural relics census. This is the first prehistoric site ever found in Zhenba, extending the county's known history by around 3,000 years, Shaanxi News Online reported on Tuesday.

Surrounded by mountains on three sides and water on the fourth, the site lies on a second terrace of the Naxi River. As an ideal settlement for prehistoric people, it was both warm and easily defended from the wind and suitable for gathering and hunting.

The discovery was made during a re-examination of sites identified in the third national census of cultural relics in 2011. Now serving as farmland for crops such as potatoes and rapeseed, the site spans roughly 8,300 square meters in an irregular arc shape.

Pottery fragments collected from the surface of the site are predominantly sand-tempered red pottery, along with a smaller quantity of sand-tempered gray pottery. Among the finds were two rim sherds from sand-tempered red pottery vessels and one rim sherd from a sand-tempered gray pottery vessel. One of the thinner rim pieces is believed to have belonged to a pottery jar.

"Red pottery is a typical ceramic type from the Neolithic period, which can be categorized into fine red pottery and sand-tempered red pottery based on the clay used," explained Chen ­Mingshun, a team leader of the fourth national cultural relics census in the city of Hanzhong.

"The sand-tempered red pottery discovered at the site clearly exhibits Neolithic characteristics," he noted. "The surface is brick red in color, and sand was mixed into the clay to improve its heat resistance. Such pottery was commonly used as cooking vessels in Neolithic settlements."

Records from the third national census on cultural relics showed that while Han Dynasty (202BC-AD220) and Song Dynasty (960-1279) tombs had previously been found in Zhenba, no prehistoric sites had been identified until now.

"This discovery pushes the region's known history back from the Xia Dynasty [c.2070BC-c.1600BC] and Shang Dynasty [c.1600BC-1046BC] recorded in historical texts to the Neolithic era, and holds significant value for the study of prehistoric human activities in southern Shaanxi," Chen said.

Neolithic sites previously discovered in the Hanzhong area are mostly concentrated on the first and second terraces along the upper reaches of the Hanjiang River and its tributaries.

Located in the southeastern part of Hanzhong, Zhenba is in the western section of the Daba Mountains and the eastern section of the Micang Mountains. Characterized by rugged highland terrain, the area features numerous towering mountains, well-developed karst formations, abundant natural caves and a network of mountain streams.

"The new findings at the Zhenba site not only deepen our understanding of ancient culture but also highlight its unique significance in tracing the origins and development of Chinese civilization," Zhang Yin, a member of the Society for East Asian Archaeology, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

"This research reconstructs the fabric of prehistoric society by analyzing the material cultural remains left by ancient humans," he said. "It not only contributes to the preservation and transmission of cultural heritage, but also promotes cultural exchange and understanding between different regions."

According to Zhang, the nationwide cultural relics census and related archaeological discoveries also offer valuable insights into the lifestyles, social structures and cultural development of prehistoric communities, deepening understanding of Chinese civilization and human history.