舞蹈纹彩陶盆

This terracotta basin, unearthed in Datong County of Qinghai Province in 1973, was of the Majiayao variety of Majiayao Culture (ca. 5,700-4,700 B.P.), which was a regional variant of the Yangshao Culture as it pushed westwards. Over more than three thousand years of development, the Majiayao Culture is divided into four types: Shilingxia, Majiayao, Banshan and Machang. It was made with fine red clay. The rim and outer face of the pot are decorated with simple black lines, but the inner wall features three groups of dancers, decorated above and below, and separated by parallel vertical lines and leaf patterns. Each group of dancers contains five people holding hands, all facing forward and to the right and dancing in step with the rhythm. Discussion about the dancing scene have been going on for more than four decades. Most people believe that this is an accurate recreation of ancient revelry. The stick-like objects beneath the dancers have attracted special attention—some believe these are weapons while some others deem them as a symbol of the male reproductive organ. What is interesting is that on another terra cotta basin also excavated in Qinghai a similar dancing scene was painted. The only difference is that all the dancers on the latter relics have a bulging belly, which makes many people believe that this is a revelry of pregnant women. This seems to provide evidence that the dancers on this basin are male.