Qijia Culture – Its Disappearance Remains An Ancient Mystery
Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - The ancient Qijia culture remains a historical and archaeological puzzle. Its mysterious and sudden disappearance leaves us with many unanswered questions.
What happened to these ancient people? Evidence of a mysterious prehistoric disaster has been uncovered at an amazing archaeological dig in the upper reaches of the Yellow River.
Discovery Of The Qijia Culture
Evidence of the culture was first unearthed in the small village of Qijiaping, in the northwestern Chinese province of Gansu, in the early 1920s by the Swedish geologist Johan Gunnar Andersson.
Map of the Neolithic to Bronze Age in North China and the Eurasian steppe. Map built with the help of Li Liu and Xingcan Chen: The Archaeology of China: From the Late Paleolithic to the Early Bronze Age, Cambridge University Press
Around the mid-20th and early 21st centuries, more ancient sites were discovered suggesting that the Qijia culture existed from about 2250 B.C to 1900 B.C.and it is the only Neolithic culture to be uncovered in China that shows the northern Eurasian influence.
This pot, found in the tomb with the small chamber, contains o-shaped incisions that form an elaborate design. It is handmade and made of red clay. (Photo courtesy Chinese Cultural Relics.)
Little is known about the Qijia culture, but excavations revealed that these people lived in large villages in terraces along the Huang He (Yellow River) and buried their dead in pits. Their most common implements were stone axes and rectangular knives, although small copperware items.
Bronze mirror, Gansu. Qijia culture (2400 - 1900) National Museum of China. Image credit: Prof. Gary Lee Todd
Scientists also discovered “bone divination lots,” which are artifacts used to predict the future. Some of the unearthed artifacts included comb-like designs and amphora-like vases that are unfamiliar in ancient China. Did these items and motifs perhaps originate in another part of the world?
Archaeological Excavations Shed Some Light On The Mysterious Disappearance Of The Qijia Culture
When archaeologists excavated the ruins of two of four half-underground cellar-like houses in the 400-home village, they found human remains dating back 3,500 to 4,000 years. At the site of one house, the remains of 14 human beings in groups of three to five shocked the researchers. It was the first time Chinese archaeologists had stumbled upon the remains of so many ancient people in a single house.
Although Chinese archaeologists have clues to the existence of Qijia Culture ruins in Qinghai Province from as early as the 1950s, they did not actually find the site until 30 years later.
The skeleton of an adult female who is facing toward the northwest was discovered among the prehistoric tombs in China. Much of her skeleton below the abdomen is destroyed. Credit: Courtesy Chinese Cultural Relics.
Even after the first excavation was conducted near Lajia Village in 1999, when some large jade articles such as pendants and knives typical of the Qijia culture were unearthed, archaeologists were not sure what else was awaiting them.
The 14 sets of human bones were found buried irregularly around the house, covering a floor space of roughly 14 square meters. Some lie on one side, others are entwined, as if in an embrace, while still others seem to crawl.
Near the round-shaped cooking stove in the center of the house is a skeleton that appears to be an adult, with hands raised over the head and two legs arched together. It is possible the person was killed before the body hit the ground.
In this tomb a small chamber filled with pottery was found beside the skeletons. (Photo courtesy Chinese Cultural Relics.)
Zhao Zhijun, a doctor in archaeology and a research fellow with the CASS Archaeology Institute said he had never seen anything like this before.
Something enormously extraordinary must have happened to these ancients," he said. "The young and strong have run for life, leaving behind children and the elderly who then appeared to have hidden in places they thought were safe to shelter in," Zhao said.
A cluster of the remains of five ancients was found in the southwestern section of the house, appearing to be four children under the protection of one senior person.
Near the east wall, one could see the skeleton of an elder sitting against the wall, propped up with the right hand, the left hand holding a baby to its bosom, its face close to the head. The baby's two tiny hands are fastened around the elder at the waist, giving an impression of pain and horror.
A Rare Site Of A Prehistoric Disaster
It remains unclear what caused the death of these horrified people. Some archaeologists think the Qijia culture was a victim of pestilence or a plague. Another proposal points to religious action. There are suggestions of infanticide, but there is not enough evidence to support these claims.
There are also scientists who say we should not ignore environmental changes in the region. “Most suggestions about the root cause of the disaster, such as flood or pestilence, suggest a relationship between man and nature at the time of the tragedy," said Wang Renxiang, head of the excavation team and research fellow of the CASS Archaeology Institute. "If they are verified, that means the area had already witnessed some environmental and ecological deterioration as much as 4,000 years back.
We may never come to the bottom with this sad, ancient mystery, but there is no doubt that something terrible caused the mysterious disappearance of the Qijia culture.
Written by Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com
Copyright © AncientPages.com This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com
More From Ancient Pages
-
Is Mysterious Prehistoric Jiroft The Legendary Land Of Aratta?
Featured Stories | Aug 20, 2015
-
A Seal Impression Dated To Persian Period Discovered In The City Of David
Archaeology | Jul 3, 2020
-
Who Can Solve The Shackleton Scribble Mystery?
Artifacts | Sep 13, 2017
-
Will Ancient DNA Unravel History Of The Scythians From Central Asian Steppe?
Archaeology | Mar 29, 2021
-
Puzzling Sabaean Inscription Found On A Large Clay Jar Near The Jerusalem Temple Deciphered
Archaeology | Apr 4, 2023
-
World-Famous Temple Of Bel In Palmyra, Syria – Digitally Reconstructed
News | Aug 22, 2020
-
Rare Stone Age Artifacts Found In Norway Offer Evidence Of Migration From The East
Archaeology | Aug 24, 2023
-
Mysterious White Mass On The Heads Of The Tarim Basin Mummies Identified
Archaeology | Oct 1, 2024
-
The Phrase Hip Hip Hooray Has Ancient Roots
Ancient History Facts | Jun 6, 2018
-
Ancient Temple At Taposiris Magna In Alexandria, Egypt, Reveals Some Of Its Secrets
Archaeology | Dec 18, 2024
-
Ancient Fossils Reveal Climate Altered Humans’ Body And Brain Size
Archaeology | Jul 8, 2021
-
Knights Templar’s Legendary Sword In Stone In Terminillo Mysteriously Disappeared – Where Is It Hidden?
Featured Stories | May 3, 2021
-
Mysterious Grave Of King Valdemar IV Atterdag – Will The 600-Year-Old Historical Puzzle Ever Be Solved?
Featured Stories | Jul 14, 2018
-
On This Day In History: Edict Of Longjumeau Was Signed And Ended Second War of Religion – On Mar 23, 1568
News | Mar 23, 2017
-
Unique And Unusually Large 8000-Year-Old Building Discovered At Çatalhöyük Site, Turkey
Archaeology | Sep 26, 2022
-
Advanced Ancient Civilization’s Encounter With Primitive People Led To Something Extraordinary – Thought-Provoking Theory Suggests
Civilizations | Dec 19, 2018
-
Advanced Flying Machines And Interplanetary Travel Described 7000 Years Ago In India
Civilizations | Aug 20, 2015
-
Rare Gilded Mask Discovered On Mummy Of Ancient Egyptian Priest Serving Sky Goddess Mut
Archaeology | Jul 17, 2018
-
Archaeologists Uncover More Hidden Ancient Secrets In Saqqara, Egypt
Archaeology | Jan 6, 2025
-
Ancient Manuscripts About Sea Monsters Solve An Ocean Mystery
News | Mar 1, 2023