The experiments and research by researchers from Banpo Museum and Peking University only denied a popular saying, that is, the pointed bottom bottle is a water intake device with wonderful water intake function. They didn't explain what kind of vessel the pointed bottom bottle was, and what was the use of making pointed bottom bottles by the ancestors of Yangshao culture five or six thousand years ago. Then, what is the cause of the sharp-bottomed bottle, what is its use and how to characterize it? The author thinks it should be a ritual vessel for four reasons: First, most pointed-bottom bottles can only hold half a bottle or a small amount of liquid for normal carrying, which proves that the design and manufacture of pointed-bottom bottles are not considered from the practical point of view of production or life, and the items (water or wine, liquid) it contains are symbolic and polite. Secondly, after being filled with liquid, the pointed-bottom bottle can't be placed on the flat ground or platform casually (because the pointed bottom will inevitably fall off), and it can only be carried with you, hung high or held in your hand (there is no special pointed-bottom bottle holder in Yangshao culture), which is not considered from the practical or practical point of view of production and life. The pointed bottom bottle can only stand upright in the air or be held in the hand all the time when in use. According to the experiments and research mentioned above, most pointed-bottom bottles are transported with the bottle mouth facing down and the bottle bottom facing up when they are empty, that is, "when the liquid in the bottle is not used (drunk) and there is still a small amount, the pointed-bottom bottles will also be in the state with the bottle mouth facing down and the bottle bottom facing up, and the remaining items will be poured out. This state requires that the user of the pointed bottom bottle must always hold the pointed bottom bottle with his hand. This mandatory requirement and design also implies the rigor and seriousness of the sharp-bottomed bottle in use, which may be related to religion and etiquette. Thirdly, the half-slope-type pointed-bottom bottle is hukou, and the Miaodigou-type pointed-bottom bottle is double-lipped, which is one of the typical types of utensils that distinguish Yangshao culture from Banpo-type and Miaodigou-type. A bottle with a pointed bottom at the spout is "adding a bottle to the bottle", that is, making the spout into the shape of a small pot, pot or bottle or cup; The double-lipped pointed bottom bottle is a "mouth-to-mouth cuff", that is, the mouth and lips are made into a small and a large style. Neither the spout nor the double-lipped spout is considered from the practical point of view of production or life, that is, it is not necessary to design the pointed-bottom bottle mouth into a pot shape or a double-lipped spout. This kind of unnecessary pot mouth and lip mouth coincides with the etiquette requirements of the complicated mattress festival. Fourthly, Yangshao culture, especially Miaodigou culture and Majiayao culture, has a large proportion of pointed-bottomed bottles without ears. This pointed-bottom bottle not only has no chance to draw water with a tether, but also must be held in the hand after it is filled with liquid (that is, in use). This compulsory requirement also proves that the pointed bottom bottle is not an ordinary water container, and it should be related to etiquette.

The sharp-bottomed bottle of Yangshao culture is related to etiquette, which is discussed by Su, a master of archaeology in China and the founder of the type theory of archaeological school districts. He thinks that half-slope "small-mouth, pointed-bottom bottles" are not necessarily pumps. Some single characters in Oracle Bone Inscriptions are hieroglyphics of pointed-bottomed bottles. It is composed of "Zun" and "Li". It should not be water or even wine for daily drinking, but wine for etiquette and sacrifice. The pointed-bottom bottle should be a ritual vessel or a ritual vessel. As the saying goes,' No wine is no gift' ". According to the phenomenon of pointed bottom bottle, Mr. Su believes that Banpo era is in a period of social transformation. "Some painted pottery should be dedicated vessels for clergy. At that time, there was a division of labor between mental work and manual work" (Su's Thoughts on Rebuilding the Prehistoric History of China, ArchaeologyNo. 19 12). Some scholars believe that China's grain brewing began 8,000 years ago, and some ceramic funnels that may be used to pour wine juice into small mouths have also been found in Yangshao culture (Li's New Theory on the Origin of Grain Brewing in China, Archaeology 1993 No.6). However, according to the economic development level of Banpo, there may not be large-scale and wide-ranging wine-making and drinking activities among its residents, so it is speculated that the pointed bottom bottle should still be filled with water, and there may be a phenomenon of "replacing wine with water" in etiquette activities.

According to Mr. Wang's understanding, the distribution range of sharp-bottomed bottles is generally in arid and water-deficient areas, so the existence and use of sharp-bottomed bottles are probably mainly related to the activities of praying for rain. The shape and function of the pointed-bottom bottle force the user to hold only a small amount of water, which is not only related to the primitive witchcraft activities and thinking mode (Fraser's so-called "sympathetic witchcraft"). Through the mysterious sympathetic action, a small amount of human water attracted a lot of rain in the sky, which may be consistent with the witchcraft activities carried out by Yangshao ancestors in the drought season, and also contains the idea and warning of saving and cherishing water. Of course, this does not rule out that pointed-bottom bottles may be used to hold wine, especially in various important tribes (clans)

In activities, celebrations and ceremonies (or in these activities, a few elites use wine, while others "replace wine with water"), it is not excluded that some pointed-bottom bottles may be used to draw water. Because the height of the pointed bottom bottle is about 30-40 cm, it is just suitable for primitive people to hold on their chests. This way of mass activities naturally appears solemn, grand and serious. The ears of the pointed-bottom bottle may be mainly used to hang the tether on a high place when the utensils are idle (Banpo residents generally raise domestic animals such as chickens, pigs and dogs, and the pointed-bottom bottle cannot be casually placed on the ground because it has no specific base), or the tether may be slung over the shoulders and neck outside formal activities and ceremonies to reduce the load on both hands (but the pointed-bottom bottle is by no means a portable drinking device). Of course, the water in the pointed bottom bottle of "replacing wine with water" can be drunk, but it is still impossible to speculate on how to deal with the water in the rain prayer activity. Four. suggestion

Although the above knowledge and speculation about the nature and function of the pointed bottom bottle need not be regarded as a conclusion, there is no doubt that the pointed bottom bottle is not a water pump, an ordinary drinking fountain or a container for holding water. Because of the misunderstanding and understanding of the pointed-bottom bottle, it entered the middle school history textbook (according to the above, there are at least two of the three goals of the lesson "Unlocking the Mystery of Painted Pottery", namely "1, intuitively feeling history through Neolithic painted pottery pictures" and "3, learning and using observation methods to improve observation ability". The text starts with two of the three questions, namely "Do you want to know the wonders of painted pottery?" "What production and social activities of ancient residents are reflected in painted pottery paintings?" Therefore, it is time to face up to, examine and even correct this popular statement for decades, and it is time to "solve the mystery" and "uncover the mystery".