In China archaeologists in the Northern province of Shaanxi has unearthed previously unknown to science city of shimao, who possessed not only a powerful fortress walls, but a huge pyramid, built at the same time with the great pyramid in Egypt.
the Details of this discovery has already been named as one of the greatest in the archaeology of China, leads the National Geographic magazine. For many years it was considered part of the great wall of China. And only in recent years excavations have proved that it was detached of the city, and very powerful.
it all Started with the fact that the locals began to find in the ruins of jade disks, the blade and the scepter. But in the region of jade no. The first field season allowed us to unearth powerful walls. It later turned out that they were surrounded by a massive pyramid with a height of 70 meters.
Carbon Dating has determined that Simao (so now this place is called, and the original name of the city is unknown) it was built about 4300 years ago, nearly 2,000 years before the construction of the most ancient section of the great wall, and for 500 years before the Chinese civilization settled in the Central plains.
Pyramid is almost same age of the city, that is, it was built at the same time the great pyramid at Giza, but was twice lower. Its purpose was completely different. This city was built on the hills above the river Tuwei. In this region thousands of years was a bloody war. So the city was powerfully fortified.
the Pyramid, according to scientists, was one of the elements of the defense. It was erected on the highest of the hills, she had 20 tiers and was clearly visible from any point of the city. The upper level was equipped for living, and they probably enjoyed only by the elite.
the Top tier included a luxurious complex with an area of about 81 thousand sq. m. with own water tank, craft workshops and temples. Researchers believe that constantly nobody lived. But in times of war the top tier of the elite were raised to protect themselves from the enemy.
From pyramid Simao city in all directions miles of the different walls, forming a strong defensive line. Scientists have calculated that by the construction of these inner city walls took 125 thousand cubic meters of stone. This compares with a total volume of 50 Olympic swimming pools.
As the people of the Neolithic were able to solve a difficult problem of construction, still remains a mystery. According to estimates of archaeologists, lived in the city from 10 to 20 thousand people. The city was huge in its time. It is estimated that the total length of the walls exceed 10 km.
the city had a large sanctuary, decorated with frescoes and jade artifacts. It found horrible evidence of h��lovecheskih sacrifice. Also, archaeologists have found 70 stunning relief sculptures of stone – snakes and mythical monsters. They are reminiscent of the iconography of the late bronze age in China.
Interestingly, not a single written source, and in any oral legend of this city does not have any references. Meanwhile, shimao is currently the largest known Neolithic settlement in China – its area of 4.04 exceeds thousands of hectares.
