Xianren Cave

The Xianren Cave (

Xian

"immortals". The cave is 7 m (23.0 ft) high, 11 m (36.1 ft) wide, and 14 m (45.9 ft) deep.

A 2012 publication in the Science journal, announced that the earliest pottery yet known anywhere in the world was found at this site dating by radiocarbon to between 20,000 and 19,000 years before present, at the end of the Last Glacial Period.^[2]^[3] The carbon 14 datation was established by carefully dating surrounding sediments.^[3] Many of the pottery fragments had scorch marks, suggesting that the pottery was used for cooking.^[3]

These early pottery containers were made well before the

invention of agriculture (dated to 10,000 to 8,000 BC), by mobile foragers who hunted and gathered their food during the Late Glacial Maximum.^[3]

Inside the cave
20,000–10,000-year-old pottery found in the cave, with re-construction repairs.^[4]
Xianrendong cave pottery fragment, radiocarbon dated to c. 20,000 BP^[3]

References

^ "The unusual Xianren Cave (奇特的仙人洞)" (in Chinese). 31 August 2008. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
^ Stanglin, Douglas (2012-06-29). "Pottery found in China cave confirmed as world's oldest". USA Today.
^
S2CID 37666548
.

^ Huan, Anthony (13 April 2019). "Ancient China: Neolithic". National Museum of China.

[1] "The unusual Xianren Cave (奇特的仙人洞)" (in Chinese). 31 August 2008. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2011.

[2] Stanglin, Douglas (2012-06-29). "Pottery found in China cave confirmed as world's oldest". USA Today.

[Science-3] 
S2CID 37666548
.

[4] Huan, Anthony (13 April 2019). "Ancient China: Neolithic". National Museum of China.

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Notable caves of China
East	Binghu Cave Hualong Cave Shuanglong Cave Taiji Cave Xianren Cave Yilong Cave
South Central	Fuyan Cave Huanglong Cave Jiangzhou Cave System Reed Flute Cave Seven-star Cave Tenglong Cave
Southwestern	Er Wang Dong Furong Cave Shuang River Cave Group Shuanghedong Xueyu Cave Zhijin Cave Zhong Cave
Southeast	Luobi Cave Macaque Cave
North	Tianyuan Cave Zhoukoudian
Northeast	Benxi Water Caves
Northwestern	Ah-ai Grotto Kizil Caves Kizilgaha caves Kumtura Caves Simsim caves Bezeklik Caves Maijishan Grottoes Dunhuang Caves (Mogao Caves, Western Thousand Buddha Caves, Eastern Thousand Buddha Caves, Yulin Caves, Five Temple Caves)
Caves of China

v t e Prehistoric Asia
Paleolithic	Dmanisi hominins Japanese Paleolithic Java Man List of Paleolithic sites in China Natufian culture Paleolithic Mesopotamia Peking Man Riwat Sangiran Soanian Solo Man South Asian Stone Age Ubeidiya Xiaochangliang
Neolithic	Fertile Crescent Early Neolithic settlements Khiamian culture Trialetian culture Nemrikian culture Zarzian culture Neolithic China Neolithic Tibet Neolithic Korea Neolithic Revolution Neolithic South Asia Ohalo Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (Mesopotamia) Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (Mesopotamia)
Chalcolithic	Daimabad Halaf culture Uruk period
Bronze Age	Andronovo culture Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex Bronze Age Anatolia Bronze Age Caucasus Bronze Age China Bronze Age India Bronze Age Korea Bronze Age Levant List of Bronze Age sites in China Seima-Turbino phenomenon
Archaeological periods Time periods

See also

References