A Remote Sensing study on
the distribution pattern of ancient. PLATFORM like ruins and
earth-mounded graves of TH WU colture in southern Jiangsu, China and its
relation. ship with palaegeographical evolution LIU Shuren YU Guopei
The Institute of Remote Sensing technque & application, ECNU, Shanghai The remote sensing approach used in archaeological field may be divided into 5 categories: aeronautical archaeological remote by remote sensing; archaeological remote sensing interpretation of air photographs and mapping; underwater archaeological exploration by remote sensing; exploration of burred cultural relies by remote sensing; and cultural relies management information system. In our study we have briefly mentioned the application of remote sensing technique in archaeological work. In our recent archaeological investigation, we have successfully applied these approaches except points 1 and 3 which we didnt use because of the characteristics and other conditions of the region under study. The Institute of Remote Sensing Technique and Application, ECNU spent one year for imagery interpretation, sing the approach of aeronautical remote-sensing information processing in conjunction with field work. By this method we interpreted 184 sites of platform like rum s of the Neolithic Age and Shang-Zhou Period in a single Zhenjiang region, which 114 sites were newly discovered, an increase of 2.56 times the number of sites discovered for the preceding 40 years, i..e. 72 sites. The earth-mounded graves of Shang-Zhou Period discovered in the preceding 40 years by field investigation totaled 1405. The number of sites newly discovered by the present investigation is an increase of 2.23 times, i.e. a total of 3134. These data were verified by local archaeologists. The rate of accuracy was 100% for platform like ruins and 95% for earth-mounded graves. This investigation has been considered as a major breakthrough in archaeological work of southern Jiangsu and won a 3rd-=grade prize for progress in science and technique from the Ministry of Culture and the Provincial Government of Jiangsu. According to our estimate, there are at least 4-5 hundred platform like ruins and nearly 10,000 earth mounded graves and stone chamber earth mounds in the area south of the Changjiang River, including southern Jiangsu Anhui and northern Zheiang. These ruins are of great value to the research on the Wu Culture and the ancient pre-Wu civilization since the Neolithic Age. The Wui Kingdom was the 1st state of slave society in southern Jiangsu. In the Spring-automn Period ( 770-B.C.-276B.C.), it became one of the five powers in China and had a well developed agriculture. It could make bronze ware, such as bronze weapons and farm implements. More than 2000 bronze wares have been unearthed in this are ( vessels take up 37%, musical instrument 17% , weapons 28%, tools 23% ), Pottery was also well developed. Celadon ware, geometric pattern stamped pottery, red-sand pottery and black surface pottery were created. More than 1000 pieces have been unearthed. The construction of city walls and the isolation of residential area from graveyard indicate the level of civilization development. The Wu Culture was closely associated with the Yur Culture to the south, has a long history of rivalry and exchange with the Chu Culture to the southwest in the middle reaches of the Changjiang River, and waged war with Xue kingdom to the north. It was recorded that as early as 1100 B.C. in Late Shang Dynasty and Early Zhou Dynasty, Taibo and Zhongyun went there to establish wu kingdom which lasted for 700 years and 25 generations of heirs till 500 B.C. Hence, Wu Kingdom was well developed in political, cultural, military and artistic affairs. These facts explain why there are so mkany platform like ruins and more than ten thousand earth-mound graves built since the Neolithic Age and demonstrate that the ancient Chinese civilization was of multiregional and not restricted to the Yellow River valley, but also covered the Changjiang River valley. From the above we may infer that the Wu Culture played a dominant role in a vast region with the Changjiang delta as center. This fact has been confirmed by archaeological excavations and investigations. But where was the center of the wu Culture as well as the pre-wu Culture remains to be a controversial problem due to lack of historical records. Some scholars claimed that Nanjing Region and the Qinhuaihe River valley became the center of Wu Culture. More scholars would maintain that Suzhou and Wuxi areas around Lake Tai were its center. Still some scholars said that Jiangning. Still some scholars upstreams was the birthplace of the Wu Culture which was later spread to Suzhou and Wuxi, We applied the approach of remote sensing and used the signatures of landform, especially those of palehydrological networks in conjunction with other records to study the palegeographical evolution process and patern of the Changjiang delta. It has been revealed that only the Jiangning Zhenjiang Region and upstream of it could be the birthplace of the Wu Culture since the downstream Shanghai and the Changjiang delta as well as the area north of the lower changjiang had not become land yet. Zhenjiang was then locate at the most narrow channel in the river mouth where located at the most narrow channel in the river mouth where primitive people could use canoes to cross the river. That Zhenjiang Region became a corridor linking the Changjiang River valley with other valleys has been proven by the discovery of ancient ruins, the distribution of ancient graves and unearthed ware. Most of the wares of the Wu Culture were unearthed from Zhenjiang and upstream of it . Of the 2000 pieces of unearthed bronze wares, only 133 pieces were unearthed from Suzhou and Wuxi and moreover, all of them were dated at late Bronze Age. The majority of the unearthed wares belong to Jiangning Zhenjiang Region and they were proved as whereas made in the middle Spring and Autumn Period or earlier, the western Zhou Dynasty. These discoveries are coincident with the known pattern and regularity of the palegeographical evolution of this area, indicating that the Wu Culture originated from Jiangnign _ Zhenjiang Region and Southern Anhui Region and then gradually spread to Suzhou Wuxi Region and the areas around Lake Tai to the east Moreover, from the styles of the wares unearthed from Zhenjiang Region it is seen that the wu ere apparently influenced by the civilization of the Yellow river valley for Instance, the unearthed bronze chariotscharactiristc of the weapons used in the Northern plains. All these facts show that Zhenjiang Region had been the corridor linking the lower Changjiang River valley with the Yellow River valley. This argument is consistent with the pattern of the evolution of the Changjiang delta and other related palegeographyical evolution. In recent years we have applied the approach of remote sensing in archaeological studies and mapping of the platform like ruins in Jiangning County, Jiangsu and discovered 171 sites of platform like ruins of the Wu Culture. Moreover, we have interpreted and mapped 2000 odd earth mound graves in an area in the southern foot of the Mao Mts. In southern Hiangsu and numerous stone chamber earth mounds distributed in mountainous areas around Lake Tai. We have confirmed that there are at least 500 700 platform like Neolithic ruins and about 10000 earth-mound graves in areas south of the lower Changjiang River. The earth mound graves thus interpteted were mapped and numbered with additional distribution density and grade classification with the aid of computers for reference use by cultural relics management department. Imagery enhancement treatment was also made in order to promote the interpretability of air photographs. We utilized the published material about the collections of the Zhenjiang Museum to set up a GIS ( geographical information system ) for cultural relics management. Fuzzy mathematics approach was attempted to construct expert system and the judgments of a number of archaeological experts and connoisseurs were simulated. We have also made some simulative experiments to explore under ground cultural relics by radar with good results. In the future we would like to cooperate with archaeologists to introduce laser discs and holography as storage means in our studies when the interpretation and mapping work for ancient ruins and earth-mound graves in the entire area south of the lower Changjiang River come to an end ) including southern Jiangsu and Anhui as well as northern Zhejiang ). A complete report on our studies was published in the Journal ofr ECNU, special issue on remote sensing archaeology, 1992, No. 4, The journal will be available by mail order. Recently, with the financial support of the VOLKSWAGEN Foundation, our institute and the Najiang Museum cooperate with the German partners to make remote sensing archaeological studies and mapping for the entire region south of the lower Changjiang River and set up GIS for cultural relics management according to related regulation on archaeological research cooperation. As a country with an ancient civilization, China abounds with cultural relics and historic sites, many of which are located in areas difficult of access due to unfavorable physical conditions. Hence, the approach of remote sensing is a very useful means for archaeological studies in China. We would like to cooperate with foreign friends for making joint remote sensing archaeological studies home and abroad. Address: The Institute of Remote Sensing Technique & Application, East China Normal University No. 3666 Zhong Shan Bei Lu, Shanghai, China Post Code: 200062 Phone: 2577577 2946 Cable : 0187 DI Telex: 33328 ECNU CN Person in Charge : Professor Liu Shuren, Director of the Institute of Remote Sensing Technique & Application |