I found these diagrams at a Japanese site, where the writing seems to have been obfuscated due to some coding error.
Anyway, they propose to chart the spread of some key neolithic artifacts around prehistoric China.
Diagrams at http://www.h3.dion.n...a/point113.html
I can concur with the cong and bi flows, but I do not know enough about the dating of zhang finds (璋), except that they have been unearthed all over China, and have been found even in Sanxingdui. Can't concur with the flow without knowing the dates, though.
( http://www.cuhk.edu......ang Chung.htm ) claims that they have been found in Shandong and Shaanxi first, so that would make it originate in the north, I suppose.
And while tripod bronzes were first found in Erlitou, I was pretty sure that the first tripod pottery was found in Dawenkou.
Map of Neolithic China:
The map is a little vague.
This subject interests me very much since these represent the earliest culture objects widely made of nephrite jade. I will comment further after checking my notes, but the nephrite for the earliest carvings was from a deposit just west of Shanghai, therefore the Dawenkou, Qinglingang, Liangzhu, Majiabang and Hermudu all got their nephrite from the same mine.
The Yazhang was most likely an ancient butchering blade for cutting up sacrificial animals. The V or U shape to the end of the blade was likely used to remove meat from the bones.
Edited by shunyadragon, 08 December 2008 - 07:15 PM.
