China/Neolithic [Jade artifact of Liangzhu Culture] B.C.3500-B.C.2200【Liangzhu human-shaped jade with design of beasts/ Court artifact】*In Japan, the Jomon period, about 5520 years ago The item is currently on display at a private museum: The Museum of Oriental Official Kiln Ceramics, Nagoya. https://nagoya--ceramic--museum-com.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=ja&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=nl The Nagoya Oriental Ceramics Museum displays the collection that director Tsuyoshi Tomi has amassed over a period of 30 years, starting when he was a teenager. We cannot say that all of our collections are genuine, but from among the items we have collected so far, we are displaying only the finest pieces that can only be seen here, with a focus on Oriental Government Kiln ceramics. Mainly in China, bronze ware from the Han dynasty, which has been designated as a national treasure and has high value as a first-class national cultural relic, and bronze ware made exclusively for the imperial court from 23 AD in the Eastern Han dynasty to 1911 in the Qing dynasty. More than 150 works of art classified as Chinese "national treasures" and "first-class national cultural relics" are systematically displayed in each era, including "Government kiln" ceramics and "Qinghua" ceramics exclusively used for the imperial court of Mongolia's "Yuan Dynasty" from 1206 to 1635. There is. Of these, I would like everyone to pay particular attention to the ``Ru kiln celadon,'' which is said to be unidentified anywhere in the world with a diameter exceeding 30 cm. Pottery made by the eighth emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, Song Huizong, Zhao Pei, from 1082-1135 in the Northern Song Dynasty, China. It is. Of course, in China, it is recognized as a ``national treasure'' and a ``national first-class cultural relic.'' Archaeologists in Japan, archaeologists at the Beijing Palace Museum in China, and archaeologists in Taiwan have expressed their astonishment about the ``Guan Kiln'' celadon and ``Ru Kiln Celadon'' exclusively used for the imperial court at the Nagoya Oriental Ceramics Museum. I have received it. As the Oriental Government Kiln Ceramics Museum, it was born under the influence of Ko-Imari, Arita ware, Kutani ware, Oribe ware, which are typical of Japan's Edo period, and the Northern Wei style of China's ``Northern Wei [386-534]'' during the Heian period. We display a collection of precious Kannon Bodhisattva statues from the Heian period, as well as official kiln ceramics from the East, including celadon from the Korean Ri dynasty and Goryeo dynasty [918-1392]. We are particular about our display facilities so that you can enjoy the masterpieces left behind by our predecessors. About the Culture to which this object belongs: The Liangzhu civilization (3300–2300 BC), flourishing in the Yangtze River Delta, represents the last of China's Neolithic jade cultures. As an eminent symbol of early stratification, this society exhibited clear social divisions: jade, silk, ivory, and lacquer artifacts were reserved for elite burials, while pottery sufficed for the less affluent. Such burial practices underscore a nascent state formation, marked by distinct social hierarchies. The urban center at Liangzhu in northwestern Hangzhou, Zhejiang, emerged as a hub of elite authority, exerting influence over surrounding regions. The reach of the Liangzhu culture extended remarkably far, from Shanxi in the north to Guangdong in the south. Discovered in Yuhang County, Zhejiang, by Shi Xingeng in 1936, the primary Liangzhu site offers a window into one of East Asia's earliest state societies. This site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 6 July 2019, further cementing its historical significance. By around 2500 BC, the Liangzhu culture thrived, only to vanish from the Taihu Lake area by approximately 2300 BC. The subsequent archaeological record reveals almost no trace of their presence. Recent research attributes this abrupt decline to severe environmental disruptions, including recurrent flooding. These interruptions in the cultural strata, characterized by muddy and sandy–gravelly layers with buried paleo trees, suggest a series of extreme environmental events. One prevailing theory posits that heavy monsoon rains led to catastrophic flooding, destroying the dams and settlements integral to Liangzhu society. A 2021 study supports this hypothesis, indicating that a period of intense rainfall—likely driven by increased El Niño–Southern Oscillation activity—occurred between 4345 ± 32 years and 4324 ± 30 years B.P. This deluge may have precipitated widespread flooding, hindering human habitation and rice farming, and ultimately forcing the Liangzhu people to abandon their settlements in the Taihu Plain. This environmental calamity might have coincided with a global drought that impacted several early civilizations, including the Indus Valley, Old Kingdom Egypt, and the Akkadian Empire. Such a convergence of climatic events likely played a crucial role in the collapse of the Liangzhu civilization, mirroring the broader patterns of decline observed across the ancient world. #printemps