https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/shimao-0014097
Aerial view of the Shimao archaeological site. ( dfdaily) Insert: A pit of skulls unearthed at Shimao.
( Zhouyong Sun et al. 2017 )
Shimao is an ancient Chinese city that was lost for a long time. But in recent years it has yielded many of its secrets to archaeologists. Among the most astonishing finds are a step-pyramid and evidence of human sacrifice. The grisly discoveries are offering new insight into the origin of early Chinese civilization and the history of human sacrifice.
There is a loess plain in a loop in the Yellow River in Shaanxi province in the North of China. Local villagers were aware of some very large ruined walls at a site known as Shimao. They assumed that they were the remains of a portion of the Great Wall , as this area was on the border between the Chinese empire and nomadic peoples, such as the Xiongnu.
https://youtu.be/ALsyYFfSePk
15 min. vid. in Chinese. English sub titles
The Neolithic City of Shimao
However, pieces of jade, a prized material in ancient China, began to turn up. This precious stone came from 1,000 miles (1609.34 km) away and people began to wonder why it was showing up in this region that was believed to be sparsely inhabited in ancient times.
In 2013 a team of Chinese archaeologists investigated and they uncovered not part of the Great Wall but a long-lost city! It was enclosed by 6 miles (9.66 km) of stone walls and had a stepped pyramid. Carbon-dating revealed that it was up to 4,300 years old - centuries before Chinese civilization was thought to have begun.
Archaeologists had found a Neolithic city. The step-pyramid dominated the settlement and its platform was inhabited by the elite, who lived apart from the general population. Shimao’s defenses were very impressive - and this made sense as the people here were vulnerable to attacks from nomads.
Aerial photo of Shimao’s East Gate.
A: U-shaped screen; B: gate tower; C: L-shaped wall; D: bastion; E: corner tower.
The resources needed to build such a settlement suggests that the society that constructed it was sophisticated and hierarchical. Sun Zhouyong, leader of the excavations at Shimao, is quoted by the National Geographic as saying that “It gives us a new way of looking at the development of China’s early civilization.”
Pits Filled with Skulls
While excavating the inner sanctum of the pyramid, which is 230 feet (70.1 meters) tall, they came across some wall paintings and artifacts. In particular, they found ‘70 stunning relief sculptures in stone—serpents, monsters, and half-human beasts that resemble later Bronze Age iconography in China,’ according to the National Geographic . Also found at the site was the earliest known mouth harp found in China and a reed used in a wind instrument.
This post continues with more pics and background at: https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/shimao-0014097
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