Banpo Neolithic Village Xi'an - 2008

32. Pottery Pieces

Banpo has yielded more than 500,000 pieces of pottery. Six pottery kilns were recovered beyond the ditch at the east side of the settlement, outside the residential zone. Most of the vessels were handmade into a distinctive red ware. While cooking pots tend to be coarse and gritty, water vessels and food serving bowls are made of a finer clay. Cord-marking is the most common surface decoration, although basket, textile, and finger-nail impressions are also used. The black-painted geomorphic and zoomorphic Yangshao designs are also applied primarily to bowls and jars.