China's earliest 'wildlife zoo' unearthed at Yin Ruins

China's earliest 'wildlife zoo' unearthed at Yin Ruins

殷墟王陵区发现中国最早“野生动物园”

Hard to believe? Over 3,000 years ago, the the Shang Dynasty's royal families already had their own "wildlife zoos". During a conference on January 9 reviewing the archaeological achievements of 2025 in Central China's Henan province, researchers unveiled several small and medium-sized sacrificial pits containing bones and remains of various wild animals such as water buffalo, tigers, leopards and serows at the Yin Ruins Royal Cemetery in Anyang. These discoveries suggest that they may represent the earliest known instance of domesticated wild animal populations in China. The study has been published in the academic journal Archaeology.

距今三千多年的商王室，竟已拥有专属“野生动物园”！1月9日，2025年度河南考古工作成果交流会传来消息：安阳殷墟王陵区考古取得新进展，一批中小型祭祀坑内集中出土圣水牛、虎、豹、鬣羚等多种野生动物骨骼及相关遗存。经考证，这是我国迄今发现最早的人工饲养野生动物群，相关研究成果已刊发于学术期刊《考古》。

According to Li Xiaomeng, an assistant researcher at the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, 29 bronze bells were unearthed in 13 out of 19 small and medium-sized sacrificial pits uncovered during the latest archaeological excavation. Notably, traces of bronze bell were found around the necks of some wild animals. "The presence of these bells shows they were domesticated, meaning these wild animals weren't just captured by chance; they were intentionally bred and managed in royal gardens," said Li Xiaomeng.

中国社会科学院考古研究所助理研究员李潇檬介绍，此次考古新清理19座中小型祭祀坑，其中13座出土铜铃29件。尤为重要的是，部分野生动物个体颈部留存挂铜铃的痕迹，“铜铃是驯养标识，说明这些野生动物并非临时狩猎所得，而是商王等高级贵族园囿中专门饲养的珍禽异兽。”李潇檬说。

The remains belong to a diverse range of species, including mammals such as water buffalo, deer, roe deer, wolves, tigers, leopards, foxes, serows, wild boars, and porcupines, as well as birds like swans, cranes, wild geese, falcons, and vultures. "The large number of remains and signs of organized management suggest that the Shang Dynasty had a well-established system for capturing, breeding, and managing wild animals," said Niu Shishan, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He added that multidisciplinary studies have further revealed the origins and breeding methods of these animals, highlighting the Shang Dynasty's strong capacity for resource control and a well-developed distribution network.

考古发现的野生动物种类丰富，兽类包括圣水牛、鹿、獐、狍、狼、虎、豹、狐狸、鬣羚、野猪、豪猪等，鸟类涉及天鹅属、鹤属、雁属、隼属、雕属等5个种属。“如此多的野生动物集中出现且经过标准化处理，表明商代已形成完善的野生动物获取、饲养与管理体系。”中国社会科学院考古研究所研究员牛世山表示，多学科研究进一步揭示了这些动物的来源地与饲养形式，印证了商代强大的资源控制能力和成熟的物资流通网络。

In addition to wild animals, archaeologists uncovered remains of humans, elephants, and horses in the large sacrificial pits. Horses were the most numerous, with each pit containing an even number of them. Some horse skulls had depressions of varying sizes on the top, providing insights into the Shang Dynasty's sacrificial livestock system. Niu noted that these sacrificial pits reveal the grandeur and complexity of Shang Dynasty sacrificial ceremonies and highlight its animal-based sacrificial practices, providing key evidence of the dynasty's religious beliefs and ceremonial system.

除野生动物遗存外，考古人员还在大型祭祀坑中发现人、象、马等骨骼，其中马的数量最多，且各坑中马的数目均为偶数，部分马头顶存在大小不一的凹陷坑，为研究商代祭祀用牲制度提供了素材。牛世山指出，这些动物祭祀坑不仅还原了商王室祭祀的宏大场面与复杂流程，更揭示了商代祭祀用牲制度的丰富内涵，为探讨商代宗教信仰与礼制体系提供了核心实物证据。（中文来源：河南日报 记者：李琳 杨之甜 编译：杨佳欣 审校：丁岚 赵汉青）