An incredible royal tomb belonging to an ancient king of China has been uncovered, alongside 350 artefacts dating back around 5,000 years.
The discovery was made in the Wangzhuang ruins in Yongcheng, in the Henan province.
It is a vast tomb for the period, covering roughly 183 square feet. It is over 14.7 feet tall and around 13 feet wide, containing both inner and outer coffins.
The tomb also contained more than 100 pieces of pottery, 200 samples of various jade pieces and animal remains, including bones. Experts say that such artefacts symbolised a significant amount of wealth, according to the Greek Reporter.
The Wangzhuang ruins contain artefacts and various ancient ruins from the middle and late Dawenkou periods, which existed in China from 4,000 to 2,600 BC in the late Neolithic period.
The Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology and other universities have been doing joint excavations at the ruins since 2023.
“The latest discovery indicates that the Wangzhuang ruins are not an ordinary settlement but rather, the capital of a prehistoric kingdom,” said Zhu Guanghua, an associate professor at Capital Normal University in Beijing.
According to Zhu, the royal tomb has been ransacked at some point, as the ancient king’s remains were no longer there. There was also other evidence of damage. Zhu believes it was likely tampered with shortly after the king’s burial.
“The tomb owner’s remains were removed, and many significant artefacts were looted,” Zhu explained.
“Most of the tomb owner’s skeletal remains within the wooden coffin are missing, with only a few toe bones left. Small jade ornaments were scattered inside and outside the coffin, and many stone ceremonial blades were deliberately broken.”
This tomb is not the only one to have been discovered at the ruins. 45 tombs in total have been discovered so far, with scientists having fully excavated 27 of them.
According to the joint archaeological team leader, Liu Hawiwang, some of the tombs belong to elite members of the Dawenkou culture: “The exquisite pottery, stone tools, and jade artefacts vividly demonstrate the division of labour and the level of productivity at that time.
“The richness of the burial objects is closely linked to the size of the tombs, indicating that a clear social hierarchy and class stratification had already emerged.”
The royal tomb’s artefacts also suggest that the area where the ruins are located was a trade centre and a mix of multiple cultures in China.
Li Xinwei, deputy director of the Institute of Ancient History at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said, “The ancient residents were clearly influenced by the cultures of the eastern and the central regions, as well as cultural elements from the Yangtze River Basin.”
The archaeologists have said they are excited by the diversity of artefacts discovered and what this could suggest for the ancient Dawenkou culture and the prehistoric cultures of the surrounding regions.
“Its discoveries testify to the initial exchanges of early Chinese civilization, providing evidence for its nature of diversity,” said Li. “This site offers important examples for studying the cultural fusion across different prehistoric regions.”
