Sacrificial pit — over 5,300 years old — found with jade relics in China. Take a look
An ancient sacrificial pit was recently unearthed in China alongside hundreds of Neolithic artifacts, including jade tools and clay pottery.
The discoveries were made at the Lingjiatan ruins, an ancient archaeological site along the Yangtze River in China’s Anhui Province, the Anhui Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology stated in a Dec. 9 news release.
Researchers first came across the site, which is encircled by two concentric moats, in 1985. The settlement is between 5,300 and 5,800 years old.
Over the years it has been excavated five times, and the most recent excavation, from October 2021 and April 2022, focused on a 327 square-meter area near a cemetery, archaeologists said.
One of the principal findings was a sacrificial pit, which measured about 13 feet in length and a foot in depth. It was filled with braised clay bricks, broken stone tools and several bone chips.
The exact purpose of the pit is not clear, though Neolithic Chinese people may have burned jade as part of a ceremonial sacrifice, according to the journal Antiquity.
In addition to the pit, archaeologists exhumed over 400 artifacts, including beads, bracelets, combs and other jade accessories. A dragon-shaped jade object was one of the more “peculiar” finds, according to the news release.
The newfound jade objects are of great significance to the study of minerals and rituals in prehistoric China, officials said.
Further, five tombs were unearthed dating to the Han Dynasty, which spanned 206 B.C. to 220 A.D..
In addition to sacrificial pits and jade jewelry, past excavations have revealed altars and home foundations, according to the Anhui Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.
Google Translate and Baidu Translate was used to translate the news release from the Anhui Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.
This story was originally published January 4, 2023 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Sacrificial pit — over 5,300 years old — found with jade relics in China. Take a look."