Miaodigou I

anthropology

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June 30, 2026

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The Miaodigou I horizon was a Neolithic culture in northwest China, flourishing in the first half of the 4th millennium BCE. This culture is characterized by burnished bowls and basins made of fine red pottery, with about 15% of these vessels painted in black with dots, spirals, and sinuous lines. The Miaodigou I horizon was part of a broader pattern of Neolithic cultural development in China, which laid the groundwork for subsequent Bronze Age civilizations. It existed alongside other regional cultures, such as the Longshan culture in Shandong province, which is known for its fine burnished ware, divination practices, and compressed earth walls.12

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China
4th and 3rd millennia bce
The Miaodigou I horizon, dated from the first half of the 4th millennium, produced burnished bowls and basins of fine red pottery, some 15 percent of which were painted, generally in black, with dots, spirals, and sinuous lines. It was succeeded by a variety of Majiayao…
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The Miaodigou I horizon, dated from the first half of the 4th millennium, produced burnished bowls and basins of fine red pottery, some 15 percent of which were painted, generally in black, with dots, spirals, and sinuous lines. It was succeeded by a variety of Majiayao…
Read More