Tag: Yulin

Artifacts unearthed from a tomb at the Shimao ruins in Yulin, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (National Cultural Heritage Administration/Handout via Xinhua)

China: Ancient DNA Reveals Kinship & Social Structure of China’s Prehistoric Shimao City! (28.11.2025)

The research published on Thursday in Nature presents the first direct genetic evidence regarding the origins of the Shimao population — the builders of Shimao, a massive Neolithic walled settlement in northern China that thrived around 4,300 years ago and was abandoned about 500 years later.

The findings, based on genetic analysis of ancient individuals, offer a glimpse into the kinship practices, including sex-specific sacrificial rituals, of an early state-level society in East Asia.

The 4-million-square-metre Shimao city is the largest known prehistoric settlement in China. Its sophisticated fortifications, including pyramid-like platform, cyclopean stone walls, palatial complexes and stone carving, along with high-status artifacts like exquisite jades, point to a highly complex, stratified society.

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This file photo shows ancient stone fortresses in Yulin, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Photo by cultural heritage and archaeology team of the city of Yulin/Xinhua)

China: Survey Team Discovers 573 Ancient Stone Fortresses in North-West! (13.11.2025)

The survey revealed that these settlements spanned from about 2800 BC in the late Yangshao period to around 1000 BC in the Shang and Zhou (1046-221 BC) dynasties.

Mostly distributed along riverbanks, the stone fortresses were surrounded by numerous ordinary settlements without defensive stone walls, indicating a clear clustered relationship, said Ma Mingzhi, head of the team.

The development of these stone fortresses shows a clear evolution from small to large in scale, from simple to complex in layout, and from rudimentary to mature in construction techniques — with social hierarchy becoming increasingly distinct.

The survey provides crucial information for a comprehensive understanding of the origin, development, spread and evolution of prehistoric settlements in northern China, Ma added.

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