三千八百年

往下划。一屏一百年。

右边那道缝，照东门门道的方向开。缝里的星，是按那一年夏至天亮前算的。月亮没有算进去：它每年不一样，划起来会闪。

前 1800 年前后 · 从这里起算

城废了。发掘的人认为，可能是天变干变冷，撑不下去了。8361e9f705 990d104426

忘了约 500 年 · 前 1300 年前后

它被忘掉的日子，到这里和有人住过的日子一样长了。8361e9f705

忘了约 1,700 年 · 前 100 年前后

长安。司马迁写《史记》，从黄帝写起。3ee0111dbc

两千多年后，有人说这座城是黄帝的。见「名」。518291ba08

忘了约 2,210 年 · 413 年

西南边的沙地里，赫连勃勃筑统万城。它后来也被忘了，没有这么久。ec461f4849

（这一段什么也没有。还有一千年。）

忘了约 3,270 年 · 15 世纪后半

明朝的边墙，从北边十公里外过去。734ed0ec8f

从这里起，一屏二十五年。不放大，字挤不下。

忘了约 3,730 年 · 1929 年

北京。榆林来的农民带着四十二件玉求售，里面有牙璋。替科隆远东美术馆办事的萨尔蒙尼看见了。最大的一件，墨玉，长 53.4 厘米，后来到了科隆。a2d6ba30a2 67e471a304 e4c3dce1e3

忘了约 3,760 年 · 1958 年

第一次全国文物普查。调查的人记下「石峁山遗址」：三套城，头套城在皇城台。那年的调查材料，后来遗失殆尽。610e5279b8 3785291e31 90a1a7bbaa

忘了约 3,760 年 · 1963 年

又有人来踏查，记下：龙山文化，约十万平方米。41987c65cd 2c433d3900

忘了约 3,780 年 · 1976 年

一月。戴应新循着公社给的线索，找到这道山梁。他在高家堡前后四次征集到玉器 127 件。文化站的干部说，十年里经他手收的玉，最少一千五百件。53c715ea7a a9555796c7 c45f0e885b

忘了约 3,810 年 · 2011 年

考古队来了，花了三四个月，一段一段找墙。起初，他们以为那段墙是明代长城沿线的设施。量下来，四百万平方米以上。待票 / ticket pending 待票 / ticket pending 78289ece81

10 cm

它一直在这儿。

这一屏是摆出来的：柱面照拓本摊平了；拓本顶上一条读不准，没有起；石头不在东门；光照门道的方向算。三千八百年里，夏至的日出点往右挪了大半度（算的）；今天的太阳从缝的右沿起来，缝没有挪。

它叫什么 → 名静帧

30 号石雕 · 扁圆柱体，灰色砂岩 · 长径 22、短径 19、高 62 厘米578806e3aa 95f775927a 78dd8bc70e

出自大台基南护墙西部墙体的倒塌堆积578806e3aa

形据简报图二五拓本 · 雕纹高 0.98～2.08 厘米，各处深浅为估ca3b33168f 97a56a13aa 36465167e3 bca7e732c6 417e959615

Three thousand eight hundred years

Scroll down. One screen is one hundred years.

The slit on the right follows the East Gate passage. The stars in it are computed for dawn on the summer solstice of each year. The moon is left out: it differs from year to year and would flicker as you scroll.

c. 1800 BCE · counting starts here

The city is abandoned. Its excavators think the climate may have turned too dry and cold to go on.8361e9f705 990d104426

forgotten c. 500 yrs · c. 1300 BCE

By now it has been forgotten for as long as it was lived in.8361e9f705

forgotten c. 1,700 yrs · c. 100 BCE

Chang'an. Sima Qian begins his Records with the Yellow Emperor.3ee0111dbc

Two thousand years on, someone will say this city was his. See "Name".518291ba08

forgotten c. 2,210 yrs · 413

In the sands to the southwest, Helian Bobo builds Tongwancheng. It too will be forgotten, though not for this long.ec461f4849

(Nothing here. A thousand years to go.)

forgotten c. 3,270 yrs · late 15th century

The Ming frontier wall passes ten kilometres to the north.734ed0ec8f

From here, one screen is twenty-five years. Otherwise the words will not fit.

forgotten c. 3,730 yrs · 1929

Beijing. Farmers from Yulin offer forty-two jades for sale, among them notched blades. Alfred Salmony, acting for Cologne's museum of East Asian art, sees them. The largest, dark jade and 53.4 cm long, ends up in Cologne.a2d6ba30a2 67e471a304 e4c3dce1e3

forgotten c. 3,760 yrs · 1958

The first national survey of relics. The surveyors write down "Shimaoshan site": three rings of wall, the first on Huangchengtai 皇城台. Almost all of that year's records are later lost.610e5279b8 3785291e31 90a1a7bbaa

forgotten c. 3,760 yrs · 1963

Others come and record it again: Longshan culture, about 100,000 square metres.41987c65cd 2c433d3900

forgotten c. 3,780 yrs · 1976

January. Following a lead from the commune, Dai Yingxin finds this ridge. Over four visits to Gaojiabu 高家堡 he collects 127 jades. An officer at the local culture station says at least 1,500 passed through his hands in ten years.53c715ea7a a9555796c7 c45f0e885b

forgotten c. 3,810 yrs · 2011

The archaeologists come and spend three or four months tracing the walls. At first they take one stretch for a Ming Great Wall installation. Measured, the city covers more than four million square metres.待票 / ticket pending 待票 / ticket pending 78289ece81

10 cm

It was here the whole time.

Staged: the pillar's surface is unrolled flat, after the rubbing; a strip at the top we could not read stays dark; the stone was not found at the East Gate; the light follows the gate passage. Over 3,800 years the solstice sunrise has drifted about 0.7° to the right (computed); today the sun comes up at the slit's right edge; the slit was not moved.

What was it called → Namestill

Carved stone no. 30 · flattened cylinder, grey sandstone · 22 × 19 cm, 62 cm tall578806e3aa 95f775927a 78dd8bc70e

From the collapse of the west section of the Great Platform's south revetment578806e3aa

Shape after the report's rubbing, fig. 25 · relief 0.98–2.08 cm high, mapped by estimateca3b33168f 97a56a13aa 36465167e3 bca7e732c6 417e959615