Bronze age continues to astound

In Beijing's Fengtai district, the Xingong site, which is inferred to be a settlement dating to the Xia (c. 21st century-16th century BC) and Shang dynasties, was unveiled as well.

The latest study shows the site mainly dates to between 1500 BC and 1300 BC. The settlement is enclosed by two layers of moats. Inside the inner moat and between the two layers, there are ash pits and architectural remnants. Not far from the moats is a mass grave with 27 tombs.

A large number of artifacts have been unearthed from the tombs, showing the exalted status of the tomb owners, according to Han Hongye, a researcher at the Beijing Institute of Archaeology.

A highlight of the artifacts is a painted pottery vessel with three boot-shaped feet. "Even from a modern perspective, it is exquisite with true-to-life feet. Although we had discovered vessels with a similar shape in other sites before, we had rarely found such an exquisite one," says Han.

"Vessels with boot-shaped feet had been discovered from the Siwa Culture (a Bronze Age culture in Northwest China), while the painted patterns on the vessel were popular in the central area of the Shang Dynasty. From this vessel we can infer that cultural communication between different areas was going on in the early stage of the Shang Dynasty and even earlier," says Sun Hua.

According to Han, the Xingong site is one of the earliest Bronze Age settlements ever found in Beijing. The artifacts unearthed show features of local culture, culture of the central area and even the Eurasian grassland, vividly reflecting the communication and integration of cultures and people in the Bronze Age.