CSSN-2000-year-old ritual sacrifice site discovered in Shaanxi

2000-year-old ritual sacrifice site discovered in Shaanxi

Author : Source : Chinese Social Sciences Today 2016-12-26

Archaeologists recently found a 2,000-year-old site for ritual sacrifice in Fengxiang County, Northwestern Shaanxi Province. More than 3,200 relics have been identified, including architectures, fields, roads and sacrifice pits. Situated near the ancient capital of the State of Qin in the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), the site currently is the oldest and largest sacrificial site of its type ever discovered. Known in Chinese as a yongzhi, the site is a place for offering sacrifices to heaven and earth as well as the five great emperors of ancient China. It conforms to descriptions found in historical records, possessing a clear purpose and relatively complete structure. Worshipping natural gods and ancestors has long been a core value of Chinese civilization, and this is the most important national ritual sacrifice site China has found, said Li Boqian, a professor of history from Peking University.

Editor: Yu Hui