Newly discovered enclosure ditches and more than 400 sacrificial pits in the Yin Ruins Shangwang Mausoleum Area

Source: Xinhua Net

Zhengzhou, 19 Jan (Xinhua) -- This reporter learned from the Anyang Task Force of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences that archaeologists recently discovered two ditches and more than 400 sacrificial pits in the Yin Ruins Shangwang Mausoleum on the north bank of the HuanHe River in Anyang, Henan Province, and in the surrounding areas, refreshing their understanding of the pattern of the Shangwang Cemetery.

It is understood that the east and west weigou are 40 meters apart. Among them, the East Wai Ditch is completely closed, surrounding the large tomb and a large number of sacrificial pits in the eastern area of the Yin Ruins King's Mausoleum, with an east-west spacing of about 246 meters, a north-south distance of about 236 meters, and a shape of nearly square. The west weigou has been found in the north, east and south sections, around the three sides of the tomb in the west area of the Wang Ling, it has been proved that the northern section is 190 meters, the eastern section is more than 230 meters, and the southern section is 90 meters.

The number of newly discovered sacrificial pits is more than 460, and the shape is basically the same as that of the Yin Ruins period in previous archaeological excavations. These sacrificial pits are mainly located in the eastern section of the Dongwei Ditch and are densely distributed in rows in some areas.

"From the perspective of spatial location relationship, the two newly discovered ditches are around the perimeter of the Yin Shang tomb. The northern ends of the eastern and western sections of the Dongwei Ditch are oriented to the east, consistent with the direction of the Shang Dynasty buildings found in The Yin Ruins. Niu Shishan, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that based on multiple factors, the two ditches are likely to be related to the Shang King's Cemetery.

What is particularly special is that there are large blank areas east of the eastern section of the Dongweigou and south of the southern section, and few remains of the late Shang Dynasty have been found. "It is speculated from this that not only is there a clear plan for the Shangwang Mausoleum Park, but there is also a large area outside the cemetery that has been allocated to the buffer zone and is prohibited from being occupied by ordinary people." Niu Shishan said.

In addition to the ditches and sacrificial pits, archaeologists have also found a certain number of ash pits, tombs and other remains.

"The new discoveries have refreshed the understanding of the pattern of the Shang King's Mausoleum and will promote the study of the Shang Dynasty mausoleum system and even the Shang culture and Shang history." Niu Shishan said.

It is reported that the archaeological exploration work began in mid-August 2021 and is still in progress, with a total exploration area of more than 72,900 square meters. Subsequently, archaeologists will select key points for excavation research.