THE 2014-2015 EXCAVATION OF CAOCUN KILNS AT THE YECHENG SITE IN LINZHANG,HEBEI
Located in Linzhang County,Hebei Province,the Caocun kilns lie 1.6 km north of Caocun Village in Xiwen Township,positioned within the Zhanghe River's course.It sits at the central-northern core of the eastern walled area of Yecheng,dating back to the Eastern Wei and Northern Qi dynasties.Excavations by the Yecheng Archaeological Team in 2014-2015 revealed an area across 170 sq m,uncovering three kiln sites,a large operational pit,over 20 ash pits,and three ash ditches.The kilns are horseshoe-shaped,comprising the kiln entrance,firebox,firing chamber,and flue,with Y1 and Y2 built semi-subterranean and Y3 as an earthen-cave style.A large operational pit measures over 10 m in length,3-3.7 m in width,and about 1.4 m deep.Most of the ash pits are modern disturbance pits,while a few early ash pits were used as refuse pits.The kilns yielded a large number of diverse artifacts,including both high-fired and low-fired greenish-glazed ceramic sherds,clay-based roof tile blanks,painted pottery figurines,pottery models,and numerous kiln furniture such as stilts and L-shaped racks.This evidence suggests that this area was a concentrated,well-planned,and multifunctional official handicraft workshop zone.The period from the late Northern Dynasties to the early Sui and Tang eras is critical for studying the transition from pottery to porcelain,notably the evolution from celadon to white porcelain.The artifacts from the Caocun kilns,especially the white-bodied wares with greenish glaze and white-bodied sherds with yellowish-green decorations,are crucial for studying the origins and development of celadon,white porcelain,and sancai wares in northern China.
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维普
