Land of the 'giants'

The plethora of jade artifacts found at the Jiaojia site, including bracelets, rings, string ornaments and earrings, suggests it was a key jade utilization hub in the Yellow River basin. Colorful pottery items, which have also been found in large numbers, are clear evidence of skill and aesthetic sense of these settlers.

"There must have been people making pottery, people digging trenches, supervisors, managing workers and so on. In other words, there was a pronounced social ranking system in the middle and late phases of the Dawenkou Culture period," says Tang.

The discovery of roe deer teeth in the hands of the dead, shells and painted pottery as burial goods has, on the other hand, significantly enriched the understanding of funeral customs during the time. To further understand the distribution and development of the settlement at Jiaojia, archaeologists will expand their ambit of excavation this year, adds Tang.