The Neolithic period began in the vast region that is today the Republic of China around 10,000 B.C. and came to its end with the introduction of metallurgy around 8,000...
The Neolithic period began in the vast region that is today the Republic of China around 10,000 B.C. and came to its end with the introduction of metallurgy around 8,000 years later. It is primarily characterized by the development of communities in rural settlements that generally relied on farming and domesticated animals rather than hunting and gathering. In Chinese Neolithic period settlements grew up along the main river systems, a convention followed in different parts of the world during that same period. The rivers which came to dominate the geography of China are the Yellow River, in central and northern China, and the Yangzi River in the southern and eastern part of China.
This exquisite sculpture of an antelope dates from this distant time. The undulating horns that gather at their respective tips leaving a sizable cavity between them is a testament to the skill and technological prowess of Neolithic China. Fine horizontal impressions adorn the base of the horns, which are flanked by naturalistic ears. Wide-set eyes comprise most of the broad head, while an equally broad snout forms the base of the sculpture.