On October 20th, the exhibition "Origins and Evolution of Lingnan: Guangdong's Archaeological Discoveries in the New Era" opened at the Chen Baisha Memorial Hall in Jiangmen. Drawing on findings from 22 representative archaeological sites investigated by the Guangdong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology over more than a decade, the show systematically presents for the first time an evidence-based framework of Lingnan's development: a million years of human history, ten thousand years of cultural history, over five thousand years of civilization, and two thousand years of maritime trade history.

The exhibition is jointly organized by the Guangdong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and the Jiangmen Museum, and hosted by the Guangdong Scientific Archaeology Base. It features 216 pieces and sets of cultural relics. A trial run began on October 1st, and the exhibition transitioned to regular opening hours following the opening ceremony on October 20th. It will run for one year.

Arranged chronologically, the exhibition is divided into four sections: "Dawn," "Kindling," "Splendor" and "Voyage." Together, they chart Lingnan's journey from the mountains to the sea and from prehistory to recorded history.

Discoveries at several sites have reshaped understanding of Lingnan civilization. The Modaoshan Site in Yunan County pushes back the earliest evidence of human activity in Guangdong from around 130,000 years ago, associated with the Maba Man, to between 800,000 and 600,000 years ago. The burial of the "Qingtang Girl" at the Qingtang Site in Yingde dates back approximately 13,500 years and is among the earliest burials discovered in China for which the burial position can be identified. A pottery drum-shaped artifact carved with human dance relief patterns unearthed at the Shentou Shangwan Site in Taishan marks the first such find in Lingnan.

Other findings are also being presented to the public for the first time, including those from the Qingfengling Cemetery in Foshan, the Huangnidui Site in Yangchun and the Nanhaiwei City Wall Site in Dongguan. The exhibition explores the core of Lingnan civilization through two central themes: "unity in diversity" and "maritime identity." The archaeological evidence shows that Lingnan has never been a peripheral region of civilization, but an active and distinctive strand in the diverse and unified Chinese civilization.

广东江门：22处遗址铺陈岭南百万年演进源流

10月20日，“源·流·岭南——新时代广东考古成果展”在江门市陈白沙纪念馆开幕。展览依托广东省文物考古研究院十余年来22处代表性考古遗址的成果，首次以考古实证系统构建并公开展示岭南“百万年人类史、一万年文化史、五千多年文明史、二千年海贸史”的演进框架。

展览由广东省文物考古研究院、江门市博物馆共同主办，广东省科技考古基地承办，共展出文物216件（套）。展览自10月1日起试运行，10月20日开幕式后转为常态化开放，展期一年。

展览按时间顺序分为破晓、燎原、璀璨、远航四部分，勾勒岭南“从山地走向海洋、从史前走向历史”的路径。

多个遗址的发现刷新了对岭南文明的认知：郁南磨刀山遗址将广东最早有人类活动的历史，从距今约13万年前的马坝人时代提前至距今80万至60万年；英德青塘遗址“青塘少女”墓葬距今约1.35万年，是中国发现年代最早、可确认葬式的墓葬之一；台山神头上湾遗址出土的人形舞蹈浮雕纹饰陶鼓形器，为岭南地区首次发现。

佛山青峰岭墓地、阳春黄泥堆遗址、东莞南海卫城墙遗址等多项成果也在本次展览中首次公开亮相。展览从“多元一体”与“海洋特质”双主线阐释岭南文明内核，实证岭南从来不是文明的边缘，而是中华文明多元一体格局中一条活跃而独特的源流。

文、图｜记者 何文涛 通讯员 广东省文物考古研究院

译 | 郑书悦

审 | 肖凯欣