This is written on the museum information card, “Still uncertain for its usage.” You will miss it if you are not looking for it as this is usually the section of the museum that is least interesting.
National Treasure 国宝
Ivory Butterfly-Shaped Container With Double-Bird Pattern 双鸟纹象牙蝶形器
Ivory | Hemudu culture in the Neolithic Age (about 7,000-5,300 BP) | Excavated from the Hemudu site, 1973-1977 | Zhejiang Provincial Museum collection. 象牙｜新石器时代河姆滾文化（距今7000～5300年）｜1973-1977年河姆渡遗址出土｜浙江省博物馆藏
Butterfly-shape vessels are available in ivory, wood, and stone textures based on previous excavations. This butterfly-shaped vessel is made of ivory, with traces of fragmentation. The front is flat, with engraved lines.
The reverse is rough, with a longitudinal groove in the middle for binding the handle. There are various small holes on the body of the vessel which may be used for binding with ropes.
A commonly-seen double-circle pattern is in the middle of the incised pattern on the front. The outer edge is flame-shaped, and there is a bird pattern connected to it symmetrically on each side, facing each other with their heads up, and a slight difference in terms of complexity. Regarding its theme, there are sayings such as “two birds facing a sun” (双鸟朝阳) and “two birds lifting a sun” (双鸟异日).
Arcs and dotted patterns are engraved around, connecting with the perforations and surrounding the two birds.1 Previously, it was classified as a burin2, but has been since updated as unclassified. My own deductions: it is most likely part of a ceremonial piece because of its intricate engravings. Birds are migratory and for this coastal culture, they represented the sense of time.
About the Hemudu Site 河姆渡遗址
In archaeology and the field of lithic reduction, a burin is a type of stone tool, a handheld lithic flake with a chisel-like edge which prehistoric humans used for carving or finishing wood or bone tools or weapons, and sometimes for engraving images.
The Hemudu site is located in Hemudu Town 河姆渡镇, Yuyao City in Zhejiang Province, with an area of 40,000 sqm. After two archaeological excavations, a large number of wooden stilt buildings, ash pits, tombs, and other relics were excavated. Relics, such as pottery, stone, jade, bone tools and wooden tools were unearthed. Its discovery is of irreplaceable value for understanding and restoring the natural environment and historic and cultural development of the southeast coastal areas in China 7,000 to 6,000 years ago. 3
A Bone Si With Vines 带藤骨耜
Bone | Hemudu culture in the Neolithic Age (about 7,000-5,300 BP) | Excavated from the Hemudu site, 1973-1977 | Zhejiang Provincial Museum collection. 骨｜新石器时代河姆滾文化（距今7000～5300年）｜1973-1977年河姆渡遗址出土｜浙江省博物馆藏
The Hemudu culture was a Neolithic culture that flourished on the Chinese coast, just south of the Hangzhou Bay in Jiangnan in modern Yuyao.
Hemudu culture has entered the farming stage of hoeing. Sowing and harvesting were achieved using different shapes of bones, wooden agricultural tools, and other implements. 4
Plough made of buffalo bone (left), similar to the shovel in modern times, is a farming tool used for turning and digging soil, weeding, reclaiming, and levelling the land. It Is made of a buffalo s hard scapula or pelvis, slightly modifying its natural shape. 5
Photos taken by author at Zhejiang Provincial Museum, Mar 2024, unless otherwise state.
About Chinese National Treasure Series
中華國寶系列 Chinese National Treasure series feature specific artefacts and relics from museums all around the world that are historically significant to be considered a National Treasure. The series covers the 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation from Neolithic periods before the Xia dynasty (c. 2070-1600 BC) to modern day.
Footnotes :
- 蝶形器有象牙、本、石三种质地。此螺形器为象牙质，有残断痕迹。正面平整，有线刻纹饰。反面制作粗糙，中间做出纵向凹槽用以捆绑器柄。器身上有数量不一的小孔，可能用于穿绢绑線。正面阴刻图案的中间为常见的重盟纹，外缘呈火焰状，两侧对称各有一与其相连的鸟纹。昂賞相对而望，且略有繁简之别。关于其题材，有“双鸟朝阳”、“双鸟异日”等说法。周边刻有弧线、点线纹样，连接穿孔，环绕在双鸟周围。
Museum information card, Mar 2024 ↩︎ - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burin_(lithic_flake), accessed 23 Nov 2025 ↩︎
- 河姆渡遗址 HEMUDU SITE
位于浙江省余姚市河姆渡镇，1973年发现；经过两次考古发掘，发现大片干栏式木构建筑、灰坑和墓葬；出土陶、石、玉、骨、木、牙、角等各类器物六千余件，以及丰富的动植物遗存。它的发现。为认识中国东南沿海地区六七千年前的自然环境与历史演变具有重要价值。
Museum information card, Mar 2024 ↩︎ - 农具 THE FARMING TOOLS
河姆渡文化已经进入了耜耕农业阶段，除了不同形制的骨、木耜作为开荒的农具，还有一些播种和收获农具，可以较清晰地复原当时“火耕水耨（nòu）”的稻作生意万式，火烧秸秆和杂草，翻耕和平整土地，散播或点播水稻种子，引水灌溉，掐穗收获等。
Museum information card, Mar 2024 ↩︎ - 骨耜 BONE SI
骨耜类似现代的铁锨，是河姆渡人进行稻作农耕生产的高效农具。利用水牛的肩胛骨或盆骨略加琢修，中间的两个竖向小孔穿绳与木柄捆扎固定，横向的方鉴 （qióng） 插入一小木条和竹片，供踩踏以辅助用力。河姆渡文化分布的宁绍地区，多粘软的淤泥质滩涂，实验考古验证了骨耜的实效性。
Museum information card, Mar 2024 ↩︎
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