Miaodigou

Refers to a phase of the Chinese Neolithic Yangshao culture. It is named after Miaodigou village in Henan province where the first find from this culture was made. Two distinct periods have been determined: Miaodigou I, dating from ca. 4000 to ca. 3300 BCE and Miaodigou II, dating from ca. 3300 to 2600 BCE. Miaodigou ceramics are typically made of a refined red clay, occasionally covered with red or white slip. A few objects made of the thin, hard, lustrous pottery typical of the Longshan culture have been excavated at Miaodigou sites. Villages were surrounded by ditches and fences and were internally divided into distinct areas for living, working, and burial. Burials were mostly furnished with ceramics but occasionally stone tools and bone ornaments have been found.