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Dadianzi Cemetery, located in the Xar Moron River Basin, is an appropriate place to examine the layout of the cemetery, roles played by painted potteries placed in tombs and the manner in which burial rituals may have been conducted in the northern area of China during the early Bronze age. The reason for this is that the cemetry has not been subject to any significant destruction, thus permitting a closer analysis of the original appearance of the more than 700 tombs located there. The present study is divided into five chapters. The first chapter is an introduction. It provides key background information on Dadianzi Cemetry and a review of research previously conducted on it. Chapters two to four, for their part, explore the development of pottery, painted pottery, tombs with painted pottery and tombs with ornaments. Finally, in chapter 5, the researcher not only makes conclusions based on observations reported in the previous chapters, but also considers how an aesthetical perspective, taken by both males and females in burial rituals, had differences and was therefore gender-based, which in turn was culturally influenced. In the final analysis, the chapter ends with a conclusion on the origin of the inheritance of tomb ornaments. The development of Dadianzi Cemetery is mainly related to the number of tombs during different periods and to the gender of the deceased. Most of the tombs at the cemetry were built before the third period and contained a higher number of burial goods than in later periods. From the third period onward, however, there was a sharp decline in the number of tombs at Dadianzi, and this was associated with a corresponding decrease in the number of burial goods-painted pottery and ornaments- placed in each tomb. Not only was there a decline in their number, but also in the their type and style, reflecting a general regression of the entire cemetry. Seen in this way, the tombs and burial goods stood in a demand-supply relationship. The greater number of tombs imposed a demand on the supply of a higher number and more types and styles of burial goods, with the opposite being true when the number of tombs declined. As far as gender is concerned, most of the burials at Dadianzi Cemetry were of males, and their graves were, in general, larger. Larger graves tended to be associated with painted pottery. The burial ritual for males also appeared to be stricter. The latter is reflected by the painted pottery of males being rich in reflecting his status, which stood in stark contrast to female ornaments reflecting personal taste. The tradition of decorating pottery in Dadianzi Cemetery can be traced to Hai-dai Region. Also, the regulation of funeral and burial objects shows a kinship to cultures of the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yellow River. However, with regard to aesthetics, Xiajiadian Lower Level Culture not only absorbed external elements such as multi-color crafting(複彩工藝), but also nurtured its’own featured culture, which organically integrated multi-color ornamental grooves(複彩飾紋) with the body of the pottery, and applied textured beads of various colors, composing a series of fantastic figures. Their handicrafts present a distinct aesthetic perspective from other cultures in the same era.
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