Negotiating Permanence and Hierarchy, Mortuary Rituals in the Dawenkou Culture

This study examines the role of mortuary rituals, with a focus on pottery offerings, in shaping social continuity and hierarchical order in the Dawenkou Culture, a representative Neolithic culture of the lower Yellow River region in China. By analyzing chronological patterns of burial assemblages and pottery combinations at key sites (Wangyin, Dawenkou, Yedian, and Xishahou) the study employs k-means clustering and heatmaps to typologically classify funerary pottery and trace the transformation of burial rituals. The analysis reveals a temporal increase in the quantity of pottery, diversity of vessel types, and the appearance of high-status items, along with the standardization of certain combinations and multiple-vessel offerings. These changes are interpreted in terms of the symbolic and functional significance of vessel types, reflecting the growing elaboration and diversification of food and alcohol offerings. The sustained combination of ding (cooking tripod) and bei (cup), alongside the pronounced disparities in burial wealth during the late phase, are understood as strategic actions by individual agents seeking to affirm communal continuity and display social hierarchy through funerary practices. The study argues that Dawenkou mortuary rituals functioned as a crucial arena for negotiating and enacting social order and permanence.