Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology et al. .................................................4

A preliminary report of the excavation of burials M22, M67 and M77 in the Shangshihe cemetery at Yima, Henan 

Abstract： From January to August 2018, the Sanmenxia Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and the Yima Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics Protection and Management jointly conducted a salvage archaeological excavation of the Shangshihe Cemetery in Yima City, Henan Province, and unearthed a large number of Spring and Autumn period tombs. This article introduces the discoveries from burials M22, M67 and M77. These three are rectangular vertical pit tombs, which should be classified as small and medium-sized noble tombs in the Spring and Autumn Period. A total number of 321 artifacts of various types, such as copper, jade, pottery and stone have been unearthed. The excavation of these tombs contributes greatly to the study of the Sanmenxia region of the Spring and Autumn period in the field of burial system and funerary customs.

Nanyang Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology et al.  ............................................16 

A preliminary report of the excavation at the portrait stone tomb at Liuzhuang, Tanghe County, Nanyang 

Abstract：The Liuzhuang Han portrait stone tomb is located atop the hilly terrain between Liuzhuang Village and Hougang Village in the suburbs of Tanghe County. Two tombs were found while extending Fengshui Road. The Nanyang Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology excavated the two burials. M1 and M2 were constructed out of both bricks and stones. They were of two main chambers and two side chambers, with two doors, the form of which were unprecedented in the Nanyang area. According to the shape of the tomb, the pattern of the portrait and the funerary artifacts, the burial should date to the late Western Han Dynasty. Burial M1 and Burial M2 should be of officials or powerful families.

Zhengzhou Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology........................27 

A preliminary report of the excavation of Eastern-Han-Dynasty Burials at Baizhai, Zhongyuan District, Zhengzhou 

Abstract：In 2018, the Zhengzhou Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology excavated fourteen Han Dynasty tombs, as well as many remains such as Han Dynasty wells and pottery kilns, during the archaeological work of the infrastructure project of Baizhai Village, Zhongyuan District. A good number of accompanying goods were unearthed from the Han Dynasty tomb M14. Among them, a three-story pottery architecture, which was more than 1 meter in height, and a multiple branch ceramic lamp were especially notable. The excavation of this tomb provides new data for the study of the funeral customs and burial system in Zhengzhou during the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Zhengzhou University, School of History & Xi’an Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics Protection and Archaeology..................................37 

A preliminary report of the excavation of the Qiu family burials of the Tang Dynasty in the southern suburb of Xi’an 

Abstract：From March 2018 to December 2021, the Xi’an Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics Protection and Archaeology, in collaboration with the Archaeology Department of Zhengzhou University, conducted an archaeological excavation of the Mujiazhai Cemetery in the southern suburbs of Xi’an. Three of the tombs are in the shape of a vertical pit, with a passage and a single burial chamber. Each of them were unearthed with tomb inscriptions. According to the inscriptions, the tomb occupants of the burials were QIU Gun, the eldest brother, QIU Lang, the second brother, and QIU Chong, the second son of Qiu Lang. They were buried in the eleventh year of the reign of Xiantong, the first year of the reign of Guangming, and the fourth year of the reign of Qianfu, respectively. The tombs of the Qiu family in Mujiazhai are of great value to the study of the tomb form, funeral customs, and the family lineage and in-laws of the Qiu family in the late Tang Dynasty in Chang’an. They also provide new materials for the chronology of the Tang tombs in the two capitals.

MA Xiaolin et al. .................................................................48 

On the greenish-gray mud unearthed at the Xipo site and the related questions 

Abstract：The Lingbao Xipo site serves as a representative example of large-scale central settlements during the middle Yangshao culture. Archaeological excavations at Xipo have revealed the prevalent use of greenish-gray mud or greenish-gray grass-mixed mud in the construction of large and medium-sized architectural bases and tombs, a practice that is uncommon in other prehistoric sites. Analysis suggests that the three“cisterns”at the Xipo site were likely utilized as pools for clarifying greenish-gray mud. This mud was primarily used as a building material for constructing houses. The application of green-gray mud and grass-mixed mud on the living surfaces, pit walls, and walls of the Xipo architectural base site can be considered as a pioneering instance of prehistoric white-gray surface construction in China. Similarly, the usage of green-gray fine mud and grass-mixed mud on various parts of the building site at Xipo can be seen as a precedent for prehistoric white-gray surface construction in China. The greenish-gray mud found in Xipo tombs mainly originates from river wetland silt that underwent simple treatment. Its primary purpose is not for antiseptic purposes but rather as symbolic elements within funeral rituals, representing a distinct collective consciousness of the Xipo social groups during the middle and late Yangshao culture. It is possible that there are instances of imitating the funeral rituals of higher-grade tombs within the tombs of slightly lower grades.

DAI Lingling et al. ............................................................56 

An isotope perspective of the livestock husbandry strategy of the Shuangdun culture

Abstract：The Shuangdun Culture, which existed from 7500 to 7000 BP, was primarily located along the middle Huai River valley. This study focused on analyzing animal bones from the Yuhuicun site, by using stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes to understand the livestock husbandry strategy of the culture. The results revealed that most of the Sus species had diets based on C3 plants, similar to the diets of large-and middle-sized deer. Zooarchaeological investigations suggested that domestic pigs were the predominant group, although some wild and feral pigs were also present. However, there were no significant differences detected regarding diet among the Sus population. Archaeobotanical studies indicated that the residents of Yuhuicun and the surrounding region primarily relied on gathering, with rice cultivation being limited in scale. Consequently, it was hypothesized that domestic pigs at Yuhuicun were managed loosely and fed with wild plants. A comparison of pig husbandry strategies among Yuhuicun, Houjiazhai, and Shuangdun sites revealed that pigs from all three archaeological sites had similar diets. Additionally, three individuals with a C4-based diet were identified as being introduced from an outside source. As Shuangdun was a central settlement in the area, it is likely that the people there had priority access to introduced food sources. This differentiation in diet is indicative of varying settlement patterns during this time period.