"Source" comes from this | 6000 years ago, the people of Dahe Village were fanatical fans of the "Star Chasing Clan" pattern | Chinese civilization | Star Chasing Clan
Editor's note: What was the earliest "China" like? As an important birthplace of the development of Chinese civilization, what other unknown historical stories do Henan have? Dahe Network has launched a multimedia column titled "The Origin of Chinese Civilization" to provide an immersive interpretation of the origin of Chinese civilization. Let's follow the story of "Explorers" and start from Henan to experience the unique charm of Chinese culture!
Looking up at the sky, the vast universe, the brilliant starlight, the profound and unknown world, full of infinite attraction.
Exploring the starry sky has existed since ancient times. As early as over 6000 years ago, the ancestors living in Dahe Village had already begun to pursue stars. In their hands, the sun, moon, and stars transformed into astrological patterns such as sun patterns, moon patterns, and comet patterns, appearing on colorful pottery pieces.
In the Dahecun Site Museum, there is a pattern restored from physical pottery pieces, with 12 suns on the outer circle and 24 triangles connected in circles on the inner circle. Although it cannot be concluded that it is the prototype of the 12 months and 24 solar terms, archaeologists speculate that this may indicate a more primitive concept of time such as the sun, moon, and year.
The Dahecun Site dates back 6800 to 3500 years and is a large ancient settlement site that embodies the Yangshao culture, Longshan culture, and Xia and Shang cultures. Due to the complete development of the Yangshao culture, which is a crucial period for the Chinese nation to enter the civilization stage, it is the most splendid component of the Yellow River culture. The Dahecun Site is known as the "benchmark of Yangshao culture".
There are over 60 different patterns on the painted pottery unearthed at the Dahecun site, among which astronomical patterns are the most distinctive. These patterns reflect the ancient people's understanding and perception of the universe and the starry sky, and the Dahe Village Site is therefore known as the "village under the starry sky".
Hu Jizhong, the director of the Dahecun Site Museum, said, "The astronomical patterns on painted pottery, such as sun patterns, halo patterns, and constellation patterns, are currently the earliest known astronomical physical materials in China."
The economic form of the ancestors of Dahe Village was mainly agriculture, supplemented by collection, fishing, and hunting. They work at sunrise and rest at sunset. Through long-term experience accumulation, they have gained a deeper understanding of the changes in natural phenomena, in order to determine when to cultivate and harvest.
The treasure of the Dahe Village Site Museum is the white colored pottery basin, which has 8 sets of linear patterns along its mouth and 4 sets of square and dot patterns on its abdomen, evenly distributed and very symmetrical. According to research, the patterns on the painted pottery unearthed in Dahe Village are often drawn in a circular symmetrical layout, presenting equal parts of two, three, and six. The shape and size of the patterns basically follow the principle of petal centering. It can be seen from this that the ancestors of Dahe Village at that time already had the concepts of symmetry and even distribution when drawing pottery.
The ancestors of Dahe Village, on this fertile land, recognized nature, explored the sky, searched up and down, and gained wisdom, as well as a never-ending national spirit. The vast river and starry sky shine brightly, illuminating the footsteps of the progress of Chinese civilization. More than 6000 years later, Chinese people continue to carry their dreams and embark on the journey of the starry sea. "Shenzhou" flies into the sky, "Chang'e" gathers the moon, "Tianwen" explores the fire, and "Xihe" moves day by day... The actions of chasing the stars and moon have been staged one after another, and more and more "made in Henan" have taken over the sky. In the vast night sky, there are more shining "Henan stars".
The story of "chasing stars" continues
Executed by: Lou Hengyin, Xin Yu, Fan Zhao
Copywriting: Li Lianfan, Yang Lulu
Appearing on camera: Li Dongbao
Image/Production: Ma Shaokun
Poster: Hu Hanze
Special thanks: Dahe Village Site Museum Henan Provincial Science and Technology Museum
