Although pottery is the most commonly found object in Shimao, an ancient fortress city in China’s Shaanxi Province,  jade and bone objects have also been unearthed. Continuous work by archeologists, researchers who study human history through artifacts and other material remains, began on this site in 2011. More than 40,000 objects of various materials have since been discovered.

The objects were found in several different locations throughout the almost 1,000-acre area (more than 4 million square meters) site of Shimao. They are some of the best archaeological evidence researchers have for understanding the spiritual beliefs, artistic, and other values/purposes of this early civilization from around 4,000 years ago.

This resource focuses on the jade objects at Shimao. Jade is not found in this northernmost part of Shaanxi Province and its nearest source is almost a thousand miles away.  This has puzzled archaeologists who have asked questions such as Why was jade used? How was it acquired? For what purpose? Why did it show up in abundance at this site?  Students will explore these and other questions as they learn about jade objects from Shimao.