Ancient Chinese ‘Skull Pit’ Reveals Sex-Specific Sacrifice Rituals
SHIMAO, CHINA – A newly analyzed collection of human remains from the 4,000-year-old city of Shimao in northern China suggests the practice of sex-specific human sacrifice was a key component of the site’s elaborate rituals. Researchers have discovered a “skull pit” containing the remains of predominantly men, contrasting sharply with the largely female sacrifices found in elite burials at Shimao and its surrounding settlements. The findings, published by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, offer a rare glimpse into the complex belief systems of early Chinese civilizations.
The finding centers on a large pit filled with decapitated heads,primarily male,unearthed at shimao - a notable archaeological site revealing a highly developed,walled city predating many well-known Chinese dynasties. This contrasts with the elite burials at Shimao, where sacrifices were “mostly female,” according to the research team. “These patterns of mostly female sacrifices starkly contrast with Dongmen, in which decapitation and mass burial involved mostly sampled men,” the researchers wrote, “This suggests Shimao’s sacrificial practices were highly structured, with gender-specific roles tied to distinct ritual purposes and locations.”
The analysis further revealed that the sacrificed men were not “outsiders,” exhibiting the same ancestral origins as those interred in the elite tombs. This indicates the victims were likely members of the shimao society, rather than captured enemies or foreign individuals.
Researchers propose several potential explanations for the sex-specific rituals. The cemetery-based sacrifices of women “may represent ancestor veneration, in which women were sacrificed to honor elite nobles or rulers,” while the skulls found in the pit “were problably connected to a construction ritual of the walls or gate.” The precise motivations behind these practices remain unclear, but the findings underscore the elegant and symbolically rich nature of early Chinese religious practices.
