Double-handled jar

Retaining the typical Banshan saw-toothed band on its neck, this jar with a flaring neck and bulbous body on a flat base presents a rare motif on the body consisting of six sequential shell whorls, each with two curved saw-toothed stripes. The combination of shell whorls with the saw-toothed bands evolved in the middle of the Banshan period. The earliest Banshan jars of this shape appeared at the site outside of Lanzhou. The shape applied with such designs, however, can been seen in a few specimens found in Jingtai and Shajingyi from the middle to late Banshan phase. Small double-handled jars of this type continued to be made in the Machang and Qijia phases, but during these time periods the shell whorls were combined with roughly outlined drawings.