Female sacrifice in China dates back thousands of years earlier than previously believed, a study of ancient DNA has revealed.
Evidence from elite burials at a large Stone Age settlement in northwestern China also suggests the existence of an early hierarchical society, with gender preference relating to the type of sacrificial ritual, according to the Chinese archaeologists and anthropologists behind the study.
Shimao, located in the Yellow River valley in Shaanxi province, is one of the largest prehistoric settlements discovered in China and dates to the late Neolithic period, about 3,800 to 4,300 years ago.
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By sequencing more than 100 ancient genomes from Shimao and its satellite sites, the research team found that sacrificial victims in mass burials, which may have served public ritual purposes, were mostly male, whereas attendants buried with dead nobles or elites were overwhelmingly female.
“These findings reveal a predominantly patrilineal descent structure across Shimao communities and possibly sex-specific sacrificial rituals,” the team wrote in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature on Wednesday.
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The large stone-walled site at Shimao borders the northern Loess Plateau and the Ordos Desert, covering about 4 sq km (1.5 square miles). It shows features typical of state-level societies, such as craft production, large fortifications and high social stratification involving abundant human sacrifice.
