Shanxi tombs hint at an 'elite' past

The discovery of a new cemetery has shed light on the existence of an "elite" group of people at the foot of the western Taihang Mountains during the transitional period between the Xia (c. 21st century-16th century BC) and Shang (c. 16th century-11th century BC) dynasties in close communication with China's Central Plains, archaeologists said at a news conference in Beijing last week.

Through archaeological excavations this year, the Zhongcun Cemetery Site in the Zhongcun community, Xiyang county, Shanxi province, has unveiled five high-level tombs during the period, which are distributed in a concentrated way and arranged in order, yielding more than 50 pottery vessels, lacquerware and turquoise artifacts, says Fan Wenqian, director of the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology.

Archaeologists found 13 tombs from the cemetery, among which five are from the Xia and Shang periods. The No 10 tomb is the one with the largest scale among them and remains the tomb of the highest level of its time nationwide, says Fan.