Pottery and jadeware, antler hoes and crocodile bone plates are some of the relics that have been unearthed from tombs on the Gangshang site in Tengzhou, Shandong province. Archaeologists have unearthed another 5,000-year-old portal to the past in Chengang village in Tengzhou city, located about 240 kilometers from Jiaojia excavation site in Jinan, capital of Shandong province.
The Gangshang site is situated on the banks of the Kuohe River and has over 800,000 square meters and about half of the area comprises the ruins of a city, according to the Shandong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.
In January, excavations had been carried out over 1,100 sq m, leading to rammed earth walls and trenches, 31 tombs, seven houses and other traces of human activity. These provide solid study materials on the origin of the early states, said Zhu Chao, an associate researcher at the institute and team leader of the Gangshang excavation.
Our excavations and studies show that civilization, representing the middle and late phases of Dawenkou culture, is right at the critical juncture of time when states start to form, Zhu says. He adds that the tombs have social grading, which indicates that our ancestors viewed their afterlife as equally important.
One of the 31 tombs that have been unearthed is 3.3 meters long and 3.2 meters wide, with four bodies. Archaeologists have not been able to confirm the gender of the youngest, but the other three are males. Evidence of social classification shows that the number and size of jade artifacts buried with the bodies decline with age, according to Zhu.
This tomb has produced more than 300 pottery items, which account for one-third of the total relics unearthed at the Gangshang site so far, along with 15 jade artifacts. We did not find burial goods in small tombs, unlike the four-body grave. He adds that high status meant more fortune.
Archaeologists found remains of chests that contained these burial goods. These were positioned in different parts of the tombs. Some were close to the head, some near the feet and some next to the body. The chests are key to studying the burial rites held 5,000 years ago, says Zhu.
There are antlers hoes, crocodile bone plates and tortoise shell wares among other intriguing relics found at the site.
Archaeologists have unearthed seven tombs, each with a man and a woman of approximately the same age. Three upside-down pottery tombs were found with remains of unborn babies, according to the three upside-down pottery tombs.
The ruins of residential ruins include plinths and holes, where pillars were erected to support houses. The ruins of a city, high-grade tombs and social classification suggest that there was a state delimitation in this region 5 millennia ago, Zhu says.
He is expanding excavation work, backed by his team members. They are not sure what they will find in days to come, but they have great expectations. Until now, the ruins and artifacts have been unearthed and offer hands-on knowledge about the origins of an early civilization. He says we can only hope to find more relics that we can further study as we continue to dig.