Period: New Stone Age
Listed in: 2004
Excavated by: the Archeological Research Institute of Shanxi Province
Archeological team leader: Xue Xinming

  Site description

The tomb area, covering an area of 5,000 square meters, is part of the Potou Site that was first discovered in 1955, and which belongs to the prehistoric Miaodigou Ⅱ Culture. A total of 262 tombs have been dug up here with the excavation of more than 200 articles of jade pieces, jade battle-axes, and hollow and rectangular jade pieces.

  Significance

This is the first time in China that a large-scale tomb area of the prehistoric Miaodigou Ⅱ Culture was discovered. Representing a crucial prehistoric period, the tomb area is not only the center of the ancient Central Plains Culture, but also the hinterland of the Miaodigou Ⅱ Culture. The jade burial articles indicate the special way of burials here and will surely play a big role in explaining the area's rejuvenation processes.

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