MessageToEagle.com – Shimao is an important Neolithic site in Shenmu County, Shaanxi, China and is located in the northern part of the Loess Plateau, on the southern edge of the Ordos Desert.
Recently, archaeologists unearthed several relics at the site. The relics belong to Shimao, the largest ancient city discovered in China that dates back 4,000 years.
A relic stone with carvings resembling a human face was one of the artifacts found by archeologists from the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology.
Photo: provided by Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology
Shimao is dated to around 2000 BC, near the end of the Longshan period, and is the largest known walled site of the that period in China, at 400 hectares.
A stone wall is unearthed by archeologists at the Shimao site near Gaojiabao town in Shenmu County in Shaanxi Province on October 10, 2015. The relics belong to the largest city discovered in China that dates back 4,000 years. Photo: provided by Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology
The city was surrounded by inner and outer stone walls, in contrast to the rammed earth walls typical of Longshan sites in the Central Plain and Shandong. The walls were 2.5 meters thick on average, with perimeters of approximately 4200 m and 5700 m respectively, and feature gates, turrets and watch towers.
The inner city contained a stone-walled platform, interpreted as a palatial complex, and densely packed residential zones, cemeteries and craft workshops.
More relics have been found from Shimao site near Gaojiabao town at Shenmu County in Shaanxi Province on October 10, 2015. Credits: Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology
Unusual features include jade embedded in the city walls, possibly to provide spiritual protection, and paintings of geometrical patterns on the inner walls. Many human skulls were found under the city gate, suggesting ritual sacrifices during construction.
Two years ago, archaeologists unearthed architectural remains of two square beacon towers, once part of the city wall of the 4,000-year-old Shimao.
According to researchers, their finding contributes greatly to our knowledge of the evolution on fortification building in ancient China. One of the towers found is 18 m. long, 16 m. wide and 4 m. tall, while the other is11.7 m. long, about 10 m. wide and 3 m. tall.
Fortification wall in the neolithic settlement site of Shimao (Shaanxi, China).
Shimao is considered as the largest neolithic Chinese city known to-date.
The Shimao Ruins were first found in 1976 in the form of a small town, and archaeological authorities only identified the ruins as part of a much larger city -the largest of its kind from neolithic time- last year after measuring the exact size of the ancient stone city.
The city was found to have a central area, and inner and outer structures. The walls surrounding the outer city extended over an area of 4.25 square kilometers.
Archaeologists said it was built about 4,300 years ago and was abandoned roughly 300 years later during the Xia Dynasty, the first dynasty in China to be described in ancient historical chronicles.
