Yinxu

Yinxu, the ruins of Yin, the capital (1350 - 1046 BC) of the Shang (Yin) Dynasty.

Yinxu (Chinese: 殷墟), is the ruin of Yin. Yin is believed to be the last capital of China's Shang Dynasty (1600 BC - 1046 BC). It was located in the central Henan province, around where the modern city of Anyang now stands. Yin was the spiritual and cultural center of the late Shang Dynasty, as many large tombs have been discovered in the excavations of Yinxu, with some more than sixty feet in depth.

One remarkable tomb is the grave of Fu Hao, wife of the twelfth Shang ruler Wu Ding. It was discovered undisturbed. The tomb had 6 dog skeletons; at least 16 human skeletons besides Fu Hao's; more than 440 bronze works; almost 600 carvings of jade, stone, and bone; and around 7,000 pieces of the currency of the time, cowrie shells.

Yinxu is also famous for the discovery of oracle bones and their inscriptions, which are thought to be the beginnings of Chinese characters and writing.

See also

• Historical capitals of China

External links

• UNESCO description of the archaeological site of Yinxu, an ancient capital city of the late Shang Dynasty