Remarkable Shang Dynasty Discoveries in North China

Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Remarkable Shang Dynasty Discoveries in North China

Four archaeological sites dating back 3,600 years have offered new insights into one of the earliest Chinese dynasties, the Shang Dynasty, including an early indoor heating system as well as painted pottery and turquoise jewellery as markers of status.

The sites belonging to the ancient Shang dynasty (1600BC-1046 BC) were recently discovered in the capital Beijing, its adjacent Hebei province, as well as the northwestern Shaanxi and central Henan provinces, according to China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration.

The discoveries from the sites paint a valuable picture of city construction, social systems, burial etiquette and handicraft production of what is regarded as the second Chinese dynasty, the administration said in a statement on Tuesday. The Bronze Age dynasty is also the first Chinese royal line backed by historical evidence.

Large rammed earth buildings were found at one of the sites. Photo: National Cultural Heritage Administration
Large rammed earth buildings were found at one of the sites. Photo: National Cultural Heritage Administration

Among the finds were nine tombs of high-ranking nobility from the late Shang dynasty, the largest burial site of its kind ever unearthed in northern Shaanxi. These were found in the Zhaigou site situated on 11 hills featuring large rammed earth buildings, cemeteries and bronze-casting shops.

More than 200 burial objects were recovered from the tombs, including a set of accessories placed on chariots and horses, copper axes, sea shells, jade and crocodile bone. Researchers said the tombs offered insights into the political structure of the Shang dynasty and interactions between the Shang and northern cultures.

A turquoise-inlaid ornament unearthed from the Zhaigou site. Photo: Xinhua
A turquoise-inlaid ornament unearthed from the Zhaigou site. Photo: Xinhua

At the Xingong ruins in Beijing, one of the earliest Bronze Age settlements discovered in the capital, archaeologists found tombs laid out in order and facing in the same direction, suggesting a form of town planning. Some of the tombs also held burial objects such as painted pottery, jade and gold earrings, turquoise necklaces and red agate beads, reflecting the high social status of those buried.

Researchers said the findings could shed light on Bronze Age cultural exchanges between people living in the Yan Mountains area of Beijing and the northern grasslands. Some remarkable urban planning findings related to the Huanbei Shang site in Henan, once a capital city of the mid-Shang dynasty that was first discovered in 1999.
Archaeologists studying the area over the past two years found that a part of the city was surrounded by ditches, instead of rammed earth walls as previously thought. They also found clues pointing to potential passageways and bridges to access the city. The findings could change the understanding of ancient urban layouts, researchers said, as they indicated walls were not seen as the only way to protect a city.

The fourth site, near Handan in southern Hebei province, used to be a key military location during the Shang dynasty. The medium-sized settlement relating to the late Shang and subsequent Zhou dynasty was found to contain burial areas, roads, moats, pottery kilns, stone waterways and rows of houses.

Ancient artefacts recovered included painted pottery, and copper arrowheads and axes. Photo: National Cultural Heritage Administration
Ancient artefacts recovered included painted pottery, and copper arrowheads and axes. Photo: National Cultural Heritage Administration

In one of the houses, researchers found an indoor structure for heat circulation, which could be an early form of the Chinese kang, an ancient system of using a heated platform to keep homes warm over the long northern winter.

Image on top : A Shang-era copper ornament with turquoise inlay unearthed from the Zhaigou site in Shaanxi province, China. Photo: Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology

 

Stephanie Cime

ArtDependence WhatsApp Group

Get the latest ArtDependence updates directly in WhatsApp by joining the ArtDependence WhatsApp Group by clicking the link or scanning the QR code below

whatsapp-qr

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Image of the Day

Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.

Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.

Search

About ArtDependence

ArtDependence Magazine is an international magazine covering all spheres of contemporary art, as well as modern and classical art.

ArtDependence features the latest art news, highlighting interviews with today’s most influential artists, galleries, curators, collectors, fair directors and individuals at the axis of the arts.

The magazine also covers series of articles and reviews on critical art events, new publications and other foremost happenings in the art world.

If you would like to submit events or editorial content to ArtDependence Magazine, please feel free to reach the magazine via the contact page.