Longshan culture
| Geographical range | Lower and middle Yellow River, China | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Neolithic China | ||||||||
| Dates | c. 3000 – c. 1900 BC | ||||||||
| Type site | Chengziya | ||||||||
| Major sites | Taosi | ||||||||
| Preceded by | Yangshao culture, Dawenkou culture | ||||||||
| Followed by | Erlitou culture, Yueshi culture | ||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 龍山文化 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 龙山文化 | ||||||||
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The Longshan culture, also sometimes referred to as the Black Pottery Culture, was a late Neolithic culture in the middle and lower Yellow River valley areas of northern China from about 3000 to 1900 BC. The first archaeological find of this culture took place at the Chengziya Archaeological Site in 1928, with the first excavations in 1930 and 1931. The culture is named after the nearby modern town of Longshan (lit. "Dragon Mountain") in Zhangqiu, Shandong. The culture was noted for its highly polished black pottery (or egg-shell pottery).
The population expanded dramatically during the 3rd millennium BC, with many settlements having rammed earth walls. In addition to the Shandong area, variants developed in the middle Yellow River area, Taosi in the Fen River valley, and in the Wei River valley. Around 2000 BC, the population decreased sharply and large settlements were abandoned in most areas except the central area, which evolved into the Bronze Age Erlitou culture.