Mee Lee

Unknown

Well

private collection

The "Tripod Ding-shaped Pottery of the Qijia Culture" dates back to approximately 2300 to 1800 BCE and belongs to the late Neolithic period to early Bronze Age artifacts of the Qijia Culture in the upper Yellow River region. The Qijia Culture, situated between the Majiayao Culture and the early Bronze Age, marks an important transitional stage in China's evolution from painted pottery to bronze civilization, serving as a bridge for the later developments in bronze smelting, jade making, and ritual systems.

The vessel is made of grey pottery, fired at a high temperature, ensuring a solid structure. It features a tripod shape with three raised columnar legs at the bottom, allowing it to stand directly over a fire source, enhancing cooking and heating efficiency. The body is primarily decorated with diagonal incised lines and carved patterns, which are distinct yet simpler compared to painted pottery, indicating a shift in Qijia Culture pottery from decorative to more pronounced practicality. Such vessels often served as cooking utensils or ritual vessels, with handles positioned on the shoulders to facilitate easy transportation.

In addition to fulfilling daily needs, the diversification of pottery types and practical designs in the Qijia Culture reflect the emergence of ritual division of labor and social hierarchy concepts, making them significant material evidence of the beginnings of Chinese ritual civilization and the Bronze Age. This tripod ding-shaped pottery inherits the aesthetic qualities of earlier painted pottery while giving rise to early bronze vessel styles, representing a concrete manifestation of the cultural transformations in prehistoric times along the upper Yellow River.

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