<p><a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/project-zero-thinking-routines/oWYbEjpf19oxcFUp/#r/1516675" target="_blank"></a>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.<br></p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.<br></p>

<p><a href="http://pzartfulthinking.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/AT_See-Wonder-Connect.pdf" target="_blank"></a>China is one of the world's oldest civilizations, dating back more than 7,000 years. What is often referred to as "ancient China" is actually a very long period of history often dated to approximately 5,000 BCE to 220 CE.  However, Chinese culture is dynamic and changing in part because the discovery and study of objects and architecture from ancient China is ongoing.  With new discoveries comes new insights and scholars today may draw different conclusions about objects than scholars did twenty years ago. Thus newly excavated objects may change our interpretations in a variety of ways. This is true of the findings introduced in this resource which introduces students to Shimao, an ancient stone-built fortress city in China’s Shaanxi Province that is believed to have flourished in the late Neolithic (ca. 5000-2000 B.C.E.) to the early Xia Dynasty (ca. 2100-1800 B.C.E.).  </p> <p>As decades of archeological excavation and research has revealed, the Shimao city site was a very large center of settlement, the main part of which encompasses an almost 1,000-acre area (more than 4 million square meters and 25% bigger than New York City's Central Park). A fortress or ‘Citadel,’ is at its core.  Local people called this structure <em>Huangchengtai</em> (pronunciation: <em>huáng chéng tái -</em>-<em>Huang</em> means emperor, <em>cheng</em> means castle, and <em>tai</em> means platform).  It is built in the form of a stepped pyramid; broad at the base, narrow at the top, and more than 230 feet high. By comparison, the height of Egypt’s Great Pyramid at Giza is only slightly higher (about 322 feet).</p> <p>Systematic archeological survey and reexamination of the site since about 2011 has revealed many exciting discoveries. Excavations in the area of the ‘Citadel’ thus far have uncovered ceramic, stone, jade, bone, and copper objects, as well as carved stone images, wall paintings, life-like ceramic eagles, and more. Researchers believe that this must have been a central area in the city of Shimao where a ‘king’ or individuals with a high status had living quarters.</p> <p> The ‘Citadel’ is protected by an inner city which contains palace buildings, houses, tombs, craft workshops, and other remains, and an outer city; both surrounded by very thick masonry walls 26.2 feet high (about 8 meters).</p> <p> Through close exploration of various areas of Shimao, students will understand more about China's earliest history as they learn about the diverse origins and evolution of Chinese civilization.<br></p>