劉慧?俞吉吉?朱婧
良渚古城從何而來?良渚古城外圍水利系統(tǒng)因何而建、如何營建?良渚古城的保護和學(xué)術(shù)研究進行得怎么樣了?2017年是良渚古城發(fā)現(xiàn)十周年,12月13日,良渚古城考古發(fā)現(xiàn)十周年新聞發(fā)布會舉行,10年來良渚古城考古的研究和保護情況也得到梳理。
當(dāng)天,第三屆世界考古論壇在良渚召開,國內(nèi)外著名高校和相關(guān)科研機構(gòu)的近30位專家學(xué)者齊聚一堂,在激烈的觀點碰撞和閃爍的思想火花中,良渚古城和外圍水利系統(tǒng)的神秘面紗被一一揭開。
自1936年11月3日首次發(fā)掘以來,歷經(jīng)80多年風(fēng)雨,良渚遺址考古研究取得了突破性的進展,隨著良渚考古對外交流的發(fā)展,國際主流學(xué)術(shù)界逐步認(rèn)識到良渚遺址在中華文明和世界文明研究中的重大價值。
堪稱“中華第一城”
2007年,良渚古城發(fā)現(xiàn)和確認(rèn),標(biāo)志著良渚遺址進入都邑考古新階段,開啟了通向良渚王國的大門。通過大規(guī)模勘探和地理信息系統(tǒng)分析,良渚古城包含內(nèi)城3平方公里、外廓城8平方公里和外圍水利系統(tǒng)100平方公里,在世界同類遺址中極為罕見,堪稱“中華第一城”。
5300年前,良渚先民在中國長江下游的大地上建立了王國。在浙江省考古研究所的王寧遠看來,良渚先民的人數(shù)在5000多年前劇增,似乎不是區(qū)域內(nèi)部自然發(fā)展的結(jié)果,可能與西面太湖地區(qū)的人口遷移有關(guān)。
“氣候事件導(dǎo)致先民由谷地向沼澤平原移動,稻作農(nóng)業(yè)成為他們賴以生存和發(fā)展的新的物質(zhì)基礎(chǔ)。良渚文化正是建立在發(fā)達的稻作農(nóng)業(yè)基礎(chǔ)上?!蓖鯇庍h解釋說,在此過程中,專門用于稻作的農(nóng)耕工具石犁等相繼出現(xiàn)。
“古城選址三面環(huán)山,東邊開放,既能保證安全,又有方便的交通,同時還包涵了一種‘居中的概念。”在王寧遠看來,良渚古城位于山間的沼澤濕地,有良渚港等河道貫穿其間。人們可以按照營建基層聚落的相同模式營建城市:采用堆墩的形式抬高居住面。堆墩也是良渚文化的顯著特征之一。
選址于此也有一個最大的風(fēng)險:古城西面的天目山系年降雨量達到1600至1800毫米,雨季經(jīng)常暴發(fā)山洪。為了保護城邦,良渚古城外圍水利系統(tǒng)便應(yīng)運而生了。
水利工程世界領(lǐng)先
2015年良渚水利系統(tǒng)的確認(rèn),再次向世人證明了這座古城的輝煌。良渚古城外圍水利系統(tǒng)由11條堤壩連接山體構(gòu)成,是迄今已知中國最早、規(guī)模最大的水利系統(tǒng),也是世界最早的攔洪水壩系統(tǒng)。良渚先民是怎樣把水壩建起來的?除了抗洪,如此復(fù)雜龐大的水利系統(tǒng)還有什么功能?
據(jù)河海大學(xué)袁俊平副教授介紹,良渚先民發(fā)明了“草裹泥包”的方式堆壘加固壩體。即先用淤泥堆筑,外裹黃土,用蘆荻、茅草把泥土裹成長圓形碼成壩體。這種工藝類似現(xiàn)代人抗洪時用草包或編織袋裝土筑壩,不僅增加了壩體抗拉強度,讓水壩不易崩塌,也加快了堆筑速度?!安莨喟痹诹间緯r期已成為臨水建筑的常用工藝。
“良渚水利工程具有防洪、運輸、灌溉等不同的功能?!闭憬∥奈锟脊叛芯克L劉斌介紹,良渚水利工程通過高、低兩級水壩,將水蓄留在山谷和低地內(nèi),解除了洪水威脅。遺址中的高壩大致可以阻擋短期內(nèi)870毫米的連續(xù)降水,即可抵御本地區(qū)百年一遇的洪水。低壩內(nèi)則是一個倒三角形的低洼地,根據(jù)現(xiàn)存的10米壩高推測,可形成面積達8.5平方公里的蓄水庫區(qū)。
正是因為有了發(fā)達的水利系統(tǒng),在進入稻作農(nóng)業(yè)的同時,良渚文化在手工業(yè)等諸多領(lǐng)域也取得了進步,玉琮玉璧等開啟了良渚文化玉器禮制的先河。
良渚古城與水利系統(tǒng)的關(guān)系如何呢?世界水利專家、來自美國辛辛那提大學(xué)的弗農(nóng)·斯卡伯勒教授也分享了自己的觀點。他說,過去一些經(jīng)典的考古學(xué)研究顯示,往往是先有城邦,再統(tǒng)一組織建設(shè)大型的基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施,而良渚恰恰相反,是水利工程建設(shè)推進了都市化建設(shè)。
良渚古城水利系統(tǒng)的確認(rèn),也證實良渚古城由內(nèi)而外具有宮城、內(nèi)城、外廓的完整結(jié)構(gòu),是中國古代都城三重結(jié)構(gòu)的濫觴。
遺址公園傳承文脈
良渚古城遺址規(guī)模宏大,格局完整,10年來,良渚考古不斷取得突破,良渚遺址已經(jīng)成為中華5000多年文明史的重要物證。
在遺址保護上,我國將良渚遺址列入全國重點文物保護單位,劃定了保護特區(qū)——良渚遺址保護區(qū),設(shè)立了專門的保護機構(gòu)——杭州良渚遺址管理委員會,編制了專門的保護法規(guī)——《杭州市良渚遺址保護管理條例》,使良渚古城遺址保護成為中國大遺址保護的典范。
在學(xué)術(shù)研究上,良渚古城的發(fā)現(xiàn)曾六次列入中國十大考古新發(fā)現(xiàn),2013年被國際考古界選入“2011—2012世界10項考古新發(fā)現(xiàn)”,良渚古城的田野考古多次榮獲中國田野考古的最高獎。浙江省考古界先后與英國倫敦大學(xué)學(xué)院、劍橋大學(xué),日本奈良文化研究所、金澤大學(xué),美國加州大學(xué),中國社會科學(xué)院考古所、北京大學(xué)、河海大學(xué)、復(fù)旦大學(xué)、南京大學(xué)、浙江大學(xué)、山東大學(xué)等國內(nèi)外學(xué)術(shù)機構(gòu)合作,取得了許多研究成果。目前,良渚遺址國際考古研究中心正在籌建中,未來將進一步擴大國際學(xué)術(shù)交流與合作,推進跨國界、跨學(xué)科的研究。
良渚遺址的考古研究成果也為我們增強文化自信提供了強勁的考古學(xué)證據(jù)。全國統(tǒng)編中學(xué)《歷史》教科書將良渚文化作為中國五千年文明的實證;《卞家山》《文家山》等考古報告和《權(quán)力與信仰》《良渚考古八十年》《良渚玉工》《良渚刻劃符號》等圖錄相繼整理出版;《良渚古城綜合研究報告》《良渚古城墊石研究報告》即將出版。美國科學(xué)院院士、劍橋大學(xué)教授科林·倫福儒與劉斌合作的研究論文將在《古物》雜志上發(fā)表;英國倫敦大學(xué)學(xué)者莊奕杰和劉斌合作的研究文章將在美國科學(xué)院院刊上發(fā)表;良渚詞條也將寫入新修訂的《大百科全書》。endprint
保護良渚遺址,就是要弘揚中華文化,傳承浙江文脈?!拔磥硎?,我們將建設(shè)‘專家叫好、百姓叫座、國際領(lǐng)先、國內(nèi)一流的良渚文化國家公園,以還原5000年前良渚先民的生活生產(chǎn)情景?!焙贾萘间具z址管理區(qū)黨工委副書記、管委會副主任陳壽田說,目前,良渚遺址公園已列入首批(全國12家)國家考古遺址公園。
1936年的初冬,施昕更先生開啟了這片土地上考古探索的先河;1959年良渚文化命名;1986年發(fā)現(xiàn)反山貴族墓地;1987年發(fā)現(xiàn)瑤山墓地和祭壇;2007年良渚古城發(fā)現(xiàn);2015年良渚水利系統(tǒng)確認(rèn)……塵封五千年的良渚文化正在逐漸揭開神秘面紗,成為中華文明新名片和世界文明史上璀璨的一筆。
On December 13, 2017, a press conference was held in Hangzhou to mark the 10th anniversary of the groundbreaking discovery of ancient Liangzhu City at Liangzhu Ruins in Yuhang District, Hangzhou. The press conference covered the latest development and informed the media of the now internationally recognized important role Liangzhu played in shaping the ancient Chinese civilization.
On the same day, an international symposium convened in Liangzhu. Over 20 top international archaeologists from renowned research institutes came all the way from Shanghai to take a closer look at Liangzhu Ruins after attending the Shanghai session of the conference in early November. The archaeologists visited Liangzhu sites on December 12.
The first archaeological dig around Liangzhu started on November 3, 1936. The study and excavation continued for decades. In 2007, the archaeological study of Liangzhu Ruins entered a brand new phase after the ruins of ancient Liangzhu City was discovered and confirmed. Data from large-scale explorations and geological studies indicate that the ancient Liangzhu City includes a three-square-kilometer inner city, an eight-square-kilometer outer city, and a 100-square-kilometer flood and irrigation system. It has been confirmed that the Liangzhu society is at least 5,000 years old.
Wang Yuanning, a researcher with Zhejiang Institute of Archaeology, pictured at the press conference what ancient Liangzhu City looked like and how it became what archaeologists see today.
A society flourished in Liangzhu about 5,300 years ago. The population grew fast possibly due to the migration of people from the west of Taihu Lake. Changes in weather enabled our ancestors living in valleys to move out to plains and marshes. Rice farming became the new material foundation for the survival and growth of the region. The Liangzhu Culture was firmly established on rice farming, as evidenced by unearthed stone ploughs and other farming tools.
The site of the city was in a place flanked by mountains on three sides, with the east opening to the outside world. Security and transport convenience must have been the two important factors for the choice of building a city there.endprint
Floods from Tianmu Mountain to the west of Liangzhu were the biggest threat to the large-scale settlement as the annual rainfall averaged about 1,600 to 1,800 millimeters. The hydraulic system came into being to safeguard the city. Eleven dams have been discovered to have stood and connected with the adjacent hills to form a system. With the dams at different two levels, flood waters were contained in valleys and lowlands. Studies find that the high dams could have withstood the onslaught of a continuous 870-mm rainfall within a short period. In other words, the dams could have held out against once-in-a-century floods. The reservoir, encircled by low dams which now stand 10 meters tall, must have covered an area of 8.5 square kilometers. All the gates of the city allowed ships to enter and leave. The whole city was surrounded by a system of rivers, moats, and canals.
One archaeological discovery reveals how a technology now known as grass-wrapped mud made rapid dam building possible. Soil was the major building material for dams. Grass and reeds were used to wrap up soil cubes and wrapped mud cubes were heaped upon the slopes of dams. The mud cubes wrapped up in grass sacks gave strength to dams and made dam-building fast and efficient.
Unlike some ancient settlements in foreign countries where cities formed and then relevant infrastructures followed, the infrastructure in Liangzhu came first before the whole city was constructed.
The hydraulic system of Liangzhu culture is the earliest large-scale hydraulic system found in China. The recovery of the 5000-years-old hydraulic system is very important to the investigation of ancient Chinese hydraulic history. It is also the earliest flood control system in the world.
The hydraulic system has also proved that the ancient walled settlement of Liangzhu culture had a complete capital city structure with palace wall, inner city wall, outer city wall, and with the hydraulic system surrounded outside the city. This structure has strongly influenced the constructions of capital cities in later periods, which provides significant research information for the investigation of the Chinese city history.
The ancient settlement of Liangzhu culture signifies one of the earliest state patterns in China. This is a solid and convincing piece of evidence for 5,000 years of Chinese civilization. The recovery of the hydraulic system outside the walled enclosure has significantly contributed to the investigation of the appearance and development of the early state of Liangzhu and the origin of Chinese civilization. Moreover, it is also important to the research of the history of world civilizations.endprint