Newly discovered Naotegai Site sheds new light on Hongshan Culture

Settlement ruins at the Naotegai archaeological site. [Photo/Hongshan Evening News]

The Naotegai Site, a major prehistoric settlement discovered in the Xiliao River basin in Chifeng of North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, was officially unveiled on May 27 as part of a new batch of archaeological research achievements released by the Institute of Archaeology under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Located near the main channel of the Xilamulun River, the site contains abundant remains from the Xinglongwa Culture, Zhaobaogou Culture and Hongshan Culture, with Hongshan cultural remains being the most numerous and significant.

The settlement was active for about 3,000 years and reached its peak during the late Hongshan Culture period, around 5,500 to 5,000 years ago.

Covering nearly 3 million square meters, the Naotegai Site is one of the largest Hongshan Culture settlements discovered to date. It is also one of the largest central settlements of the Hongshan Culture.

Pottery fragments unearthed at the Naotegai archaeological site.[Photo/Hongshan Evening News]

Archaeologists unearthed a large number of pottery artifacts, mainly dating to the middle and late stages of the Hongshan Culture. Cylindrical jars were the most common, alongside slant-rim vessels, urns, bowls, and pots.

Tools for digging, harvesting, and grain processing, including stone spades, knives, grinding slabs, and grinding sticks, were also discovered, indicating the development of advanced dry farming agriculture in the Xilamulun River basin during that period.

Experts say the discovery marks a major achievement in prehistoric archaeology in the Xiliao River basin in recent years. It has reshaped experts' understanding of Hongshan Culture settlement patterns and layouts.

The site is expected to provide valuable material for future interdisciplinary research on Neolithic settlements, environmental archaeology, and jade technology in the Xiliao River basin, as well as studies on social development, culture, and early religious and ritual systems from the Xinglongwa Culture to the Hongshan Culture period.

Jade fragments unearthed at the Naotegai archaeological site.[Photo/Hongshan Evening News]