Archaeologists discover noble-exclusive cemetery at ancient Shimao site in China

A noble-exclusive cemetery with stone walls and rows of burials was discovered at the Shimao site in Shenmu city, Yulin, Shaanxi province, which is evidence of an early-stage country.

The Shimao site is an important part of the project of tracing the origins of Chinese civilization. It is located in the northern part of the Loess Plateau in Shaanxi and on the southern edge of the Maowusu Desert.

In 2022, the corner relief discovered at the imperial city platform of the Shimao site provided crucial evidence for determining the age and architectural nature of the large stone carvings on the platform. Chronological studies focused on determining the age of the imperial city platform, inner city, and outer city, with preliminary evidence suggesting that the construction of the imperial city platform was likely not earlier than 2200 BC, and it was possibly abandoned as late as 1600 BC. The noble-exclusive cemetery was found about 200 meters west of the large stone carvings on the imperial city platform.

The Shimao site, dating back approximately 4,000 years, is primarily a stone city with an area of over 4 million square meters. It is currently the largest prehistoric city site discovered in China.

Compared to the previous tombs, the stone mound tombs found in the imperial city platform are larger and represent the highest level of stone mound culture discovered so far. They are confirmed to be a high-level noble cemetery, said archaeologists.

It demonstrated the degree of civilization in the Shimao society, providing important evidence that Shimao had entered an early state form and representing a significant achievement in the exploration of Chinese civilization in recent years.