Unusual Sacrificed Human Bones Found

Archaeologists from Henan province have excavated a human skeleton in a sacrificial pit dating back to the late Shang Dynasty (1600 BC-1046 BC) in the Chaizhuang Ruins. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Archaeologists from Henan province have excavated a human skeleton in a sacrificial pit dating back to the late Shang Dynasty (1600 BC-1046 BC) in the Chaizhuang Ruins.

The person who was sacrificed had been beheaded. The skeleton was facing north in a kneeling position, with both hands crossed in front. It is positioned like the oracle bone inscription of the character kan.

It is rare to find a sacrificed human in such a configuration, said Liang Fawei, who is in charge of the excavation of the ruins in Jiyuan.

Records of oracle bone inscriptions unearthed at the Yinxu Ruins in Anyang, Henan, in 1928, indicate that sacrificial culture prevailed in the Shang Dynasty, and hieroglyphs such as she, shi, tan and kan were used to describe different rituals. The character kan depicts human and domestic animal sacrifices in pits, Liang said.

Archaeologists from Henan province have excavated a human skeleton in a sacrificial pit dating back to the late Shang Dynasty (1600 BC-1046 BC) in the Chaizhuang Ruins. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The excavated remains of sacrificed humans have been mostly in a lying position. The sacrificial method in the shape of kan has seldom been found but might have been prevalent since it may correspond to the record in oracle bone inscriptions, experts say.

The Yinxu Ruins are among China's best-known archaeological sites. Named after the last capital of the Shang Dynasty, it was where the earliest written Chinese characters were discovered, etched on bones and tortoise shells.With the approval of National Cultural Heritage Administration, the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and a team from Jiyuan have excavated 6,000 square meters of the Chaizhuang Ruins since February 2019.

Orderly arranged tombs, sacrificial pits, rammed earth sites and well-built wells of high-ranking nobles from the late Shang Dynasty have been found, indicating that the ruins must have been a regional center of settlement, Liang said.

Archaeologists from Henan province have excavated a human skeleton in a sacrificial pit dating back to the late Shang Dynasty (1600 BC-1046 BC) in the Chaizhuang Ruins. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Archaeologists from Henan province have excavated a human skeleton in a sacrificial pit dating back to the late Shang Dynasty (1600 BC-1046 BC) in the Chaizhuang Ruins. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]