Kano Site

Kano Site is located in Qamdo Prefecture, Tibet. It is a cultural relic of late Neolithic Period which could be dated back to 4000-5000 years ago. It covers an area of 10000 square meters and was discovered in 1978. It has been approved as one of the three primitive cultural relics in Tibet. Kano Site has been listed as a key cultural relic under state protection.

Kano Site - Unearthed Cultural Relics

Kano Site is a cultural relic of late Neolithic Period located at Kano Village, at upper reaches of Lancang River. It was discovered in 1977 and firstly excavated in 1978. 1800 square meters of the site has been excavated. The archaeologists had found 31 construction relics, 3 stone wall relics, 2 round stone platform relics and four ashcan relics. Thousands of cultural relics were earthed, including 7978 stone implements, 368 bone objects, 200 porcelain fragments and 50 decorations.

Kano Site could be dated back to the Neolithic Period about 4000-5000 years ago. The invention of potteries and manufacture of stone implements are the main characteristics of the material culture at that time. Human beings also started the cultivation of plants and animals. The unearthed cultural relics at Kano Site have theses characteristics.

Various types of stone implements were unearthed at Kano Site, including grinding stone implements and polishing stone implements. There are shovels, hoes, sickles, scrapers anvils and so on. Some of them are very exquisite, especially the implements made out of bowlders.

Numerous and various bone implements were unearthed at Kano Site. These exquisitely made bone drills and bone spicules indicate that the production and the tool manufacture at Neolithic Period had reached a certain standard. The unearthed potteries indicate that human beings at that time already had a concept of beauty. Some of the relics were indicated to be brought to Tibet from other parts of ancient China. Though Tibet is separated with other parts and human beings by high mountains and rivers, they did communicate with others.

Kano Site - Characteristics and Culture

The unearthing of Kano Site indicates that Kano culture is a typical and representative culture on Tibet Plateau at the Neolithic Period.

Kano culture is not an isolate primitive culture. It had relationship with the primitive culture at middle and upper reaches of Yellow River, more or less. It seemed that they had frequent culture exchange. The corn discovered in Kano Site was a traditional crop of Yellow River Basin. That means that it was transmitted to Tibet from Yellow River Basin early in the Neolithic Period.

Kano Site - Significance

Kano Site is of great significance for the research of the primitive culture of Tibet, it provided rich and accurate proofs for the original source of Tibetan. The discovery and excavation of Kano Site indicate that there were human beings live in Tibet at the Paleolithic Period.