The 'Cishan culture' (磁山文化) (
6000-
5500 BC) was a
Neolithic Yellow River culture in northern
China, centered primarily around southern
Hebei. The Cishan culture was based on
millet farming. Common artifacts from the culture include stone grinders, stone sickles and tripod pottery.
Since the culture shared many similarities with its southern neighbor, the
Peiligang culture, both cultures are sometimes referred to together as the 'Cishan-Peiligang culture' or 'Peiligang-Cishan culture'. The Cishan culture also shared several similarities with its eastern neighbor, the
Beixin culture.
The
type site at Cishan is located in
Wu'an, Hebei, China. The site covered an area of around 80,000 m². The houses at Cishan were semi-subterranean and round. The site showed evidence of domesticated pigs, dogs and chicken, with pigs providing the primary source of meat. Fish was also an important part of the diet at Cishan.
Over 500 subterranean storage pits were discovered at Cishan. These pits were used to store millet. The largest pits were 5 meters deep and capable of storing up to 1000 kg of millet.
See also
★
List of Neolithic cultures of China
★
Dadiwan culture
References
★ Allan, Sarah (ed), ''The Formation of Chinese Civilization: An Archaeological Perspective'', ISBN 0-300-09382-9
★
Higham, Charles, ''The Bronze Age of Southeast Asia'', ISBN 0-521-56505-7