Shimao

石峁

China · Shaanxi, Shenmu

Ancient cityIntermittent excavation
Approximate period2,300 BCE — 1,800 BCELate Neolithic–Early Bronze Age See on the map ↓

In brief

Shimao is a prehistoric city known for its stone walls and large terraced structure at its center. Excavations have revealed intensive craft production in areas associated with palatial or ceremonial buildings.

What was found?

  • 1Bone needles

    Numerous bone needles of different sizes and shapes were found on the central elevation. They are important for documenting large-scale specialized production.

  • 2Needle blanks and production waste

    The worked bones include blanks, unfinished needles, and defective needles. These allow the preparation, drilling, and polishing stages of production to be traced.

  • 3Relief-carved stone blocks

    Relief-carved slabs set into the stone walls of the large foundation at Huangchengtai. They show that monumental structures were designed to incorporate visual decoration.

  • 4Jade objects

    Jade artifacts were found at the site. Their formal similarities are used to investigate Shimao's connections with other regions.

  • 5Stone walls and gates

    Inner and outer enclosures and large gates organize the settlement. They document large-scale defensive construction.

What does it point to?

Animal husbandry, craft production, and monumental construction coexisted at Shimao. According to researchers, the needle workshop on the central elevation may have been connected to a ceremonial economy controlled by elites.

What did it teach us?

  1. Showed that a large Late Neolithic center with stone walls existed in northern China.
  2. Revealed a clear division of labor in bone needle production.
  3. Provided new evidence for investigating cultural and technological relationships between steppe communities and Central China.

Images

Shimao-bungakuhi
光沢剤 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Latest news / selected archive

Research published in 2024 revealed the production organization and specialized workmanship of the large bone needle workshop on the central terrace.

Record

Culture
Shimao; high-plateau Longshan communities
Team / historical
Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology; Sun Zhouyong
Coordinates
38.5657°, 110.3252°

Sources

  1. cambridge.org
  2. archaeology.org
  3. en.wikipedia.org
  4. sciencedirect.com
  5. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology — yazarın paylaştığı tam metin

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