On the trail of Majiayao
Discovery of large-scale settlement at Siwa site, in Gansu province, provides intriguing evidence of advanced society, Wang Ru and Wang Kaihao report.
In the area encircled by the moats, they found multiple pottery-making areas and kilns and a large number of tools and semi-manufactured vessels. Moreover, stone-artifact processing workshops and sets of stone semi-manufactured goods were also found.
"Because pottery-making was of a large scale and spanned several hundred years, the artifacts show advanced skills, and the Taohe River Basin has been known as an area with the best painted pottery-making techniques, we believe the settlement was probably a regional pottery production center," says Guo.
Plant remains and animal bone analyses show ancient people at the site had millet and raised livestock, but the animal husbandry was not very mature. Based on the findings, Guo says with limited agricultural resources and immature animal husbandry, handicraft production may have played a major role in the economy of Majiayao society, also driving it to a high level of development.
