炎黄文化的滥觞与中华文明的起源

梳理炎黄文化与中华文明之间的关系，对于探寻中华文明的起源不无裨益。结合文献资料和考古发现，从农业、冶铜、玉器、祭祀、文字、筑城及聚落等方面综合考察。研究认为，仰韶文化和龙山文化时期是中国的炎黄时代，是炎黄文化的滥觞期，也是中华文明的起源期；炎黄时代已经有了铜的冶炼和使用，龙山文化时期中国已进入铜石并用时代；玉在中国文化中有着十分特殊和重要的意义，玉器是决不亚于青铜器的礼器；石峁遗址和陶寺遗址虽然出土了少量铜器，但远不及玉器突出，说明直到铜石并用时代，玉器仍是主要的礼器，是炎黄时代的鲜明标识，也是中国早期文明的重要表征；刻划在龟甲、骨片和陶器上的符号，是中国文字的来源之一；文献记载炎帝神农氏培育粟谷，制作耒耜，耕而作陶，发明医药，考古发现证明，中国是稻作农业和粟作农业的发源地，炎黄时代是中国耜耕农业的起源和初步发展时期，随着农业的长足发展、人口的不断增长和财富的逐渐累积，大型聚落越来越多；作为大型聚落的政治、军事、经济、宗教、文化中心，城邑的出现是文明诞生的标志之一，中国发现的仰韶文化和龙山文化时期的城址已近百座；炎黄时代是中国冶铜、文字、城邦乃至国家的滥觞期，也是中华文明的初创期，炎黄二帝是开创中华文明的人文初祖。

Beginning of Yan Huang culture and origin of the Chinese civilization

Analyzing the relationship between the Yan Huang culture and the Chinese civilization is of great benefit to exploring the origin of the Chinese civilization. Based on literature, documents and also archeological findings, this paper conducts a comprehensive examination in terms of agriculture, copper smelting, jade ware, sacrifices, written words, fortification and settlements, etc. The study believes that the Yangshao culture and Longshan culture belong to the Yan Huang era of China, and that they marked the beginning of the Yan Huang culture, thus being the origin of the Chinese civilization. During the Yan Huang era, the smelting and use of copper already existed, and China entered the age of using copper and stone at the same time in the Longshan culture era. Jade boasts of very special and unique significance in the Chinese culture, and is a sacrificial vessel no less important than bronze ware. Although a small amount of copper ware was unearthed in the Shimao Historic Site and Taosi Historic Site, it was not as much as the jade ware, indicating that until the era when copper and stone were used equally, jade ware remained the major sacrificial vessel. Thus, jade is a distinctive symbol of the Yan Huang culture, and also an important representation of the early Chinese civilization. The marks inscribed on tortoise shells, bone pieces and pottery are one of the sources of Chinese words. Literature recorded that Shennong, the Yan Emperor cultivated millets and grains, made tiling tools, ploughed land and made pottery, and invented medicine. Archeological findings have proved that China is the place of origin for rice agriculture and millet agriculture, and Yan Huang era was the origin and early development stage of China’s tiling agriculture. With substantial development in agriculture, ever increasing population and the gradual accumulation of wealth, there were more and more large scale settlements. As the political, military, economic, religious and cultural center of large scale settlements, the appearance of cities and towns is one of the marks of the birth of civilizations. There are almost one hundred city and town sites of the Yangshao culture and Longshan culture discovered in China. Yan Huang era marks the beginning of China’s copper smelting, written words, city states and even countries, and is also the earliest stage of the Chinese civilization. Yan and Huang Emperors were the early progenitors creating the Chinese civilization.