Experts working at Dawenkou sites On February 6th, seven house sites of the Dawenkou culture were discovered at the archaeological excavation at Dawenkou sites, led by Shandong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. In order to coordinate the construction of the Dawenkou National
Archaeology Park, Shandong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology started the excavation of Dawenkou sites in October 2012. The area extended from known sites on the north bank of the Dawen River, based on the project proposal. After the discovery of the site of an ancient house 30 meters north of the Dawenkou Sites Preservation Monument and just north of the Dawen River Bridge, a surrounding area of 800 square meters was chosen for excavation. At present, the excavation has come to an end. The distinct arrangement of seven house sites belonged to part of a main residential area of Dawenkou human settlements. Additionally, 17 ash pits from the Longshan culture period, four tombs at the late Yuan and early Ming Dynasty, and one tomb from the Qing Dynasty were discovered during this excavation. The Chinese version appeared in Chinese Social Sciences Today, No. 415, Feb.8, 2013 Translated by Zhang Mengying