Banpo

Banpo is a Neolithic settlement site near Xi’an, China, occupied during the Yangshao period. Its excavated houses, pottery, tools, and burials illuminate life in an early farming community.

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Banpo Museum: A museum built around the excavated Banpo Neolithic settlement near Xi’an. Its preserved site and collections present Banpo’s excavated houses, objects, and burials.
Neolithic agriculture in China: The cultivation of crops and management of domesticated animals in Neolithic China. Farming supported the settled way of life represented by Banpo’s dwellings and tools.
Yangshao period: A broad Neolithic period in northern China associated with Yangshao archaeological cultures, roughly spanning the fifth to third millennia BCE. Banpo’s occupation belongs to this period of northern Chinese prehistory.
Matriarchy: A social system in which women hold primary political authority or social dominance. Banpo burials and artifacts have sometimes prompted claims about women’s status that do not establish a matriarchy.
Banpo pottery: Painted and plain pottery recovered from the Banpo Neolithic settlement. Its forms and decoration are among the site’s best-known archaeological finds.
Millet domestication: The development of cultivated foxtail and broomcorn millet from wild grasses in East Asia. Millet cultivation formed part of the agricultural economy of Yangshao communities.
Chinese archaeology: The study of China’s past through the excavation and interpretation of material remains. Banpo became a major site in the study of China’s Neolithic past.
Gender archaeology: The study of how gender shaped past societies and how archaeological evidence can reveal it. It offers methods for assessing claims about gender based on Banpo’s graves and material culture.
Yangshao culture: A Neolithic archaeological culture of northern China, known especially for painted pottery and farming settlements. Banpo is a prominent settlement associated with this wider cultural tradition.
Neolithic settlement: A permanent or semi-permanent community established during the Neolithic period. Banpo’s houses, activity areas, and burials form an archaeological example of settled life.