Banpo Site

Banpo site, also called Banpocun, Wade-Giles romanization Pan-p’o or Pan-p’o-ts’un, one of the most important archaeological sites yielding remains of the Painted Pottery, or Yangshao, culture of late Neolithic China. It is located at the east suburb of the city of Xi’an in the Chinese province of Shaanxi. Banpo site was excavated by members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1954–57. There is now a museum at the site.

The large Neolithic settlement was situated on a low river terrace and contained multishaped clay huts, with floor levels often below the ground. Each hut had one to six pillars to support a thatched roof, which was reinforced with clay. All dwellings contained several fireplaces and a number of storage areas. Several kilns were found on the site, as well as a number of fine specimens of coloured red and gray bowls and jars. Some coarse sandy ware decorated with black geometric figures has also been found.

Most of the Banpo people’s tools were stone and bone implements. The people were agriculturalists whose primary grain was millet. Bones of pigs, dogs, and sheep have been found around the village, indicating the presence of domestic animals. Children were buried in small urns, adults in rectangular pits.