Decoding Shimao: How Ancient DNA Unlocks the Story of a Prehistoric Stone City

Late 2025 brought a wave of results about Shimao, the prehistoric stone metropolis of northern Shaanxi. After the Nature paper appeared, major Chinese media offered in-depth readings of where the Shimao people came from and how their society was organized. Here is a plain-language walkthrough of how ancient DNA gradually unlocked the city’s story.

The first step is identifying the people. Researchers extracted nuclear genomes from 169 ancient human remains at Shimao, its surroundings and southern Shanxi, anchoring the individuals—together with radiocarbon dating—to roughly 4,800–3,600 years ago. Without reliable dates, genetic comparison loses its coordinate system.

The second step is tracing origins. The genomes show that the Shimao population derived mainly from local late-Yangshao people of northern Shaanxi, while exchanging with Taosi-related, northern Yumin-related and southern rice-farming groups. This genetic conclusion echoes archaeologically observed cultural contacts and is read alongside isotope evidence rather than standing alone.

The third step is reading society. The study reconstructed a four-generation patrilineal, patrilocal family lineage, and found that roughly nine in ten of about 80 East Gate skulls were male sacrificial victims, with female victims concentrated in elite burial areas. How kinship wove power and how sacrifice was divided now has a direct genetic handle.

With these pieces assembled, Shimao is no longer just silent stone: rooted locally yet connected far and wide, and held together by kinship in a strict hierarchy. Such a city is a key footnote to how the plural-yet-unified civilization of China took shape.

Source: China Daily / Chinese Academy of Sciences (coverage of Qiaomei Fu’s work). China Daily, 2025-12-01.