Banpo

Banpo is a Neolithic archaeological site located in the Yellow River valley, east of present-day Xi'an, China. Discovered in 1953 by Shi Xingbang, the site represents the first phase of the Yangshao culture () and features the remains of several well organized settlements—including Jiangzhai, which has been radiocarbon dated to ). An area of was surrounded by a ditch, probably a defensive moat wide. The houses at Banpo were circular, built of mud and wood on low foundations, with overhanging thatched roofs. There also appear to have been communal burials.

==Site== The settlement was surrounded by a moat, with graves and pottery kilns located outside the moat perimeter. Many of the houses were semi-subterranean with the floor typically below the ground surface. The houses were supported by timber poles and had steeply pitched thatched roofs. Population estimates for the site typically range between 100-500 people, though estimations are limited because of the large portion of the settlement still unexcavated.