Excavation unearths 5,000-year-old royal tomb amid capital speculation

ZHENGZHOU — A tomb dating back approximately 5,000 years, presumed to be the grave of a prehistoric king, has been discovered at a ruins site in Central China's Henan province with more than 350 artifacts unearthed to date.

Located in the Wangzhuang ruins in the city of Yongcheng, the tomb covers more than 17 square meters, a super large size for that period.

The Wangzhuang ruins belong to the middle and late periods of Dawenkou Culture (4000-2600 BC) of the late Neolithic Age. Since 2023, experts from the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology, the Beijing-based Capital Normal University and other institutions have jointly conducted excavations at Wangzhuang.