Unusual sacrificed human bones found

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.