In this activity, students will explore various stone carvings found in Shimao, an ancient fortress city in China’s Shaanxi Province that is believed to have flourished in the late Neolithic to the early Xia Dynasty (2300 - 1800 B.C.E.).

The Shimao site consists of three parts: a fortress or ‘Citadel’ known in Chinese as the Huangchengtai (pronunciation: huángchéngtái) which is protected by an inner city bounded by masonry walls, and an outer city also bounded by masonry walls. Together these parts encompass an almost 1,000-acre area (more than 4 million square meters).

Excavation work at the ‘Citadel’ at the heart of the site revealed a high platform base with a stone retaining wall. Several stone carvings with various decorative patterns, including those of human figures, were initially unearthed by archaeologists, researchers who study human history through artifacts and other material remains, from the south retaining wall and passageway of the 'Citadel.' Ongoing, systematic excavations since 2011 have also revealed stone carvings of various types in other areas of the site.

As the largest and most important city site in East Asia from this period that has been discovered to date, the Shimao site provides some of the best archaeological evidence researchers have for understanding the spiritual beliefs, artistic insights and production methods, and other values/purposes of this early civilization from around 4,000 years ago.

Through guided observation, students will discover more about the different types of stone carvings and what the images may depict. They will also learn why they were made to increase their knowledge about the origins of Chinese civilization.