HOHHOT, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- A dragon-shaped mussel ornament from the early Hongshan culture, an important part of the Neolithic Age dating back some 5,000 to 6,500 years, has been unearthed in Chifeng City, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The finding predates an earlier C-shaped jade dragon discovery, filling a gap in our knowledge of the dragon image in the early Hongshan culture, said Sun Jinsong, president of the Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.
Approximately 20 centimeters in length and consisting of a head, body and tail, the dragon-shaped artifact was discovered in the southwest corner of a house at the Caitaopo archaeological site in Chifeng.
It is the only uncurled dragon figure that has been unearthed during the archaeological investigation of the Hongshan culture, expanding the academic understanding of the dragon symbol within the culture, Sun said.
Archaeologists also found two pieces of pottery at the site that are typical of the Hongshan culture. ■
