Siwa culture
Area map of the Siwa culture, with main sites (): Ya’er, Lanqiao, Xujianian, Jiuzhan... Also shown: the Chinese capital of Xi'an () and the Western Zhou frontier outpost of Baicaopo () | |||||||
| Geographical range | upper Yellow River | ||||||
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| Period | Bronze Age | ||||||
| Dates | c. 1300 – c. 600 BCE | ||||||
| Preceded by | Majiayao culture Qijia culture | ||||||
| Followed by | Ordos culture Shajing culture Han dynasty | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 寺洼文化 | ||||||
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The Siwa culture (Chinese: 寺洼文化; pinyin: Sìwā wénhuà, ca. 1350-650 BCE) was a Bronze Age culture in southeast Gansu Province, China. It was discovered by Swedish geologist Johan Gunnar Andersson in 1924 at Mount Siwa (寺洼山) in Lintao County, hence its name. It flourished circa 14th to 11th century BC, it is tentatively attributed to the cultures of the Northern Di, Qiang, and Xunyu peoples.
The archaeological culture is divided into two phases: the early phase associated with the sites at Lintao, Zhuoni, Lintan, and Heshui; and, the final phase during the late Shang and proto-Zhou periods associated with the Jiuzhan, Xujianian, and Lanquiao sites. Siwa culture is known for producing a type of pottery that had saddle-shaped mouths.