Archaeologists have found a 5,000-year-old tomb that may be a gateway to a prehistoric kingdom

• Excavations in central China revealed a 5,000-year-old tomb filled with artifacts from the Dawenkou culture.

• Experts believe that the size of the tomb and the richness of the artifacts show that the owner was a prehistoric king.

• The diversity of artifacts in the excavation offers cultural connections beyond a region.

Archaeologists revealed a new series of tombs at the Wangzhuang ruins this fall in central China’s Henan province. Particularly interesting is tomb M27, which probably belonged to a prehistoric king judging by the size of the tomb, the coffins and the amount of funerary objects. In fact, experts now believe that the entire site could have been the capital of a prehistoric kingdom originating from the ancient Neolithic Dawenkou culture that existed from 4000 BC. to 2600 BC

“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 and lead architect of the excavation according to to China Daily.

The size of the grave served as the first clue. Running about 15 feet long and stretching about 12 feet wide, it is one of the largest from the period. Even the wooden casket is impressive, with an inner and outer vessel that together measure about 182 square feet. In addition, inside grave were about 350 burial objects, including nearly 200 jade ornaments, bone tools, animal remains and 100 pieces of pottery. The presence of the pig’s mandibles – the most common animal bone in the tomb – was a sign of wealth.

The artifacts spanned the eastern and central regions in ancient times China and the Yangtze River Basin. “Its discoveries bear witness to the initial exchanges of early Chinese civilization, providing evidence of the nature of diversity within Chinese civilization,” said Li Zinwei, deputy director of the Institute of Ancient History at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “This site offers important examples of studying cultural fusion across different prehistoric regions.”

While many artifacts originated from far away, there were also finds that pointed to local rituals, such as the burial of a water deer’s teeth and small-mouthed jars. Archaeological journal reported that the Dawenkou culture is known for advances in pottery production and helped shape the ritual culture of Chinese dynasties.

Guanghua also believes that the tomb shows signs of damage from shortly after it was built. This could be a deliberate act of defiance by rivals, as the remains of the tomb’s owner were largely removed – with only the toe bones left behind – and ceremonial pieces were deliberately broken.

M27 was the most prominent find at the site, but archaeologists uncovered a total of 45 tombs from the Dawenkou culture. “The exquisite ceramics, stone tools and jade artifacts vividly demonstrate the division of labor and the level of productivity at that time,” said archaeologist Liu Haiwang. “The wealth of funeral objects are closely related to the size of the graves, indicating that a clear social hierarchy and class stratification had already emerged.”

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