• Excavations in central China have uncovered a 5,000-year-old tomb filled with artifacts from the Dawenkou culture.

• Experts believe that the size of the tomb and the wealth of artifacts suggest that the owner was a prehistoric king.

• The diversity of artifacts within the excavation provides cultural connections beyond a region.

Archaeologists have discovered a new series of tombs at the Wangzhuang ruins in central China’s Henan province this fall. Particularly exciting is Tomb M27, which, judging by the size of the tomb, the coffins and the abundance of grave artefacts, probably belonged to a prehistoric king. In fact, experts today believe that the entire site may have been the capital of a prehistoric kingdom dating from the ancient Neolithic Dawenkou culture, which existed from 4000 to 2600 B.C. BC existed

“The latest discovery suggests that the Wangzhuang ruins are not an ordinary settlement, but rather the capital of a prehistoric kingdom,” said Zhu Guanghua, an associate professor at Capital Normal University and lead architect of the excavation China Daily.

The first clue was the size of the grave. At about 15 feet long and about 12 feet wide, it is one of the largest from this period. The wooden coffin is already impressive, as the inner and outer containers together measure around 16 square meters. In addition, there were about 350 grave goods inside the tomb, including nearly 200 jade ornaments, bone tools, animal remains and 100 pieces of ceramics. The presence of the pig’s jaw – the most common animal bone in the grave – was a sign of wealth.

The artifacts spanned the eastern and central regions of ancient China and the Yangtze River basin. “His discoveries testify to the first exchanges of early Chinese civilization and provide evidence of the nature of diversity within Chinese civilization,” said Li Zinwei, deputy director of the Institute of Ancient History at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “This site provides important examples for the study of cultural fusion in various prehistoric regions.”

While many artifacts came from near and far, there were also finds that hinted at local rituals, such as the burial of water deer teeth and small-mouth jars. Archeology magazine reported that the Dawenkou culture is known for advances in pottery production and helped shape the ritual culture of Chinese dynasties.

Guanghua also believes that the tomb shows traces of damage that occurred shortly after it was built. This may be a deliberate act of defiance towards rivals, as the tomb owner’s remains were mostly removed – only the toe bones remained – and ceremonial pieces were intentionally broken.

The M27 was the most prominent find at the site, but archaeologists discovered a total of 45 tombs from the Dawenkou culture. “The exquisite pottery, stone tools and jade artifacts vividly illustrate the division of labor and productivity levels of the time,” said archaeologist Liu Haiwang. “The wealth of grave goods is closely related to the size of the graves, suggesting that a clear social hierarchy and class stratification had already emerged.”

You might also like this