The latest research by Chinese archaeologists on the pottery drainage system unearthed from the Pingliangtai Ancient City Site in Huaiyang, Henan Province shows that this drainage system has a history of about 4000 years and is the earliest known pottery drainage system in China. It may be an early social and environmental adaptation strategy of ancestors to environmental crises, reflecting an early case of collective water management in prehistoric societies. From 2014 to 2019, archaeologists conducted ongoing archaeological excavations and research on the Pingliangtai city site (image from Cao Yanpeng). The important archaeological research achievement paper of Springer Nature, titled 'Map of Nature', was completed by a team led by Associate Professor Zhang Hai, Vice Dean of the School of Archaeology, Peking University, and Associate Professor Zhuang Yijie, University College London, UK. It was published online on the evening of August 14th, Beijing time, in Springer Nature's professional academic journal 'Nature Water'. The Pingliangtai Ancient City Site in the late Neolithic period is located in the Central Plains of China, where there is a temperate monsoon climate with drastic changes in temperature and precipitation; Summer rainfall can reach up to 500 millimeters per month. Pingliangtai is located in a flooded area and has easy access to water, but it also faces the threat of climate uncertainty. Previous studies on various sites in Asia have shown a correlation between the development of water infrastructure and social class. However, the multiple evolution modes of water management may not necessarily be formed under hierarchical power structures, and the academic community has not had much understanding of this before. Legend of Archaeological Excavation at Pingliangtai City Site (Image courtesy of Cao Yanpeng). By analyzing 147 sediment cores from the Huaiyang area where the Pingliangtai city site is located, Zhang Hai, Zhuang Yijie, and Cao Yanpeng, the co authors of the Springer Nature Map paper, as well as Cao Yanpeng, the co first author of the paper and the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, found evidence indicating short-term precipitation fluctuations, including some extreme rainfall events, 4200 years ago. They are also conducting large-scale excavations in Pingliangtai, investigating how 460-600 residents here responded to floods. The study found that the community at the Pingliangtai city site operates and maintains a two-story drainage system, with pottery drainage pipes dating back to 4100-3900 years ago, while another drainage system parallel to the house extends to another public drainage area, both of which seem to have undergone multiple repairs and reconstructions. In addition, the ditches surrounding the houses seem to be mainly constructed and maintained at the household level, while the ceramic drainage pipes and ditches in public spaces should require planning and cooperation. The Pingliangtai city site is considered to have no social stratification. The research team believes that managing such infrastructure indicates a collaborative water management approach among the ancestors of Pingliangtai. It is reported that the Pingliangtai Ancient City Site during the Longshan Culture period is located in Huaiyang County, Zhoukou City, Henan Province. It was announced as a national key cultural relic protection unit in February 1988 and is one of the earliest confirmed prehistoric city sites in China. From 2014 to 2019, the results of systematic archaeological drilling and digital record analysis showed that its plane shape was square, with a symmetrical layout of the city gate. In 2019, a north-south road was excavated at the central axis position of the city, with two ends corresponding to the north-south city gate. The layout of the city was based on the north-south road axis, and the planning was orderly. Legend of archaeological excavation and research work at the Pingliangtai city site (image from Cao Yanpeng). Shi
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Source：China News Network
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