A magnificent and massive tomb belonging to an early Chinese king, likely from a ‘complex society’ and dated to 5,000-years-ago, has been unearthed at the Wangzhuang ruins in Yongcheng, Henan province, central China. It seems that the grave was the final resting place of a king from a prehistoric society, further supported by the discovery of over 350 artifacts at the site so far.
Not A Regular Settlement: Capital of a Prehistoric Kingdom
Researchers, in fact, believe that this discovery indicates that the Wangzhuang ruins were likely the capital of a prehistoric kingdom, not just a regular settlement. This theory was supported by Zhu Guanghua, an associate professor at Capital Normal University, reports South China Morning Post.
The tomb itself measures between 4.52 and 4.8 meters (15 to 15.5 feet) in length and 3.47 to 3.68 meters (11.5 to 12 feet) in width, featuring both an inner and outer coffin. Despite the damage sustained, the tomb contains a wealth of burial items: over 100 pieces of pottery, nearly 200 small jade ornaments, bone tools, and animal remains, including pig mandibles (a signifier of wealth), have been found within.
A huge array of incredibly ancient artifacts filled the tomb. (Courtesy of Zhu Guanghua)
“The newly discovered tomb might belong to a ruler of this kind of complex society in western Henan. In Chinese archaeology, we call the early complex societies around
5,000 bp (before present) archaic states. It’s among the biggest tombs in that period with abundant…
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