15 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

5500-year-old pentagon structure found in North China

Archaeologists discovered the remnants of a pentagonal structure going back 5,500 years in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, north China.

According to the Taiyuan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the remains were discovered at a construction site in Taiyuan, Shanxi’s provincial capital, and are thought to date from the middle and late phases of the Yangshao Culture.

It was stated that the semi-subterranean house discovered in the Neolithic ruins in Taoyuan covers a total area of 90 square meters and the surviving walls have a maximum width of 50 cm.

The walls were painted inside with a mixture of grass and mud, and several holes were also found where wooden pillars were placed to support the house and the walls, the Archaeological Institute said in a statement.

The pentagon house is believed to have been a tribal assembly hall or a leader’s office from 5500 years ago.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



ancient wall
A section of ancient wall was discovered at the Neolithic ruins at Taoyuan, a village in the city of Linfen, Shanxi province. Photo: Zheng Yuan

The pentagonal building was rare for that period as the prehistoric people only built structures larger than 80 square meters in the shape.

A total of 98 ash pits, 11 pottery kilns, two houses, and six tombs of Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties were found at the site, among which the most prominent discovery was the pentagonal house covering about 32 square meters, said Pei Jingrong, a researcher with the institute. 

A piece of relic discovered at the Neolithic ruins at Taoyuan, a village in the city of Linfen, Shanxi province. Photo: Zheng Yuan
A piece of relic was discovered at the Neolithic ruins at Taoyuan, a village in the city of Linfen, Shanxi province. Photo: Zheng Yuan


Abundant pottery pieces have been unearthed in the house, including sand-filled pottery kettles, sand-filled grey pottery pots, red pottery pots, and sharp-bottomed bottles, Pei said. 

According to experts, the finding is of considerable academic importance for understanding the cultural traits of the Neolithic Age in Taiyuan Basin and the ancient cultural interactions in Taiyuan and its neighboring areas.

Previously, a dozen prehistoric pentagonal buildings had been found in China, mainly located in Lingbao City, Henan Province.

According to experts, the finding is of great academic importance for understanding the cultural traits of the Neolithic Age in Taiyuan Basin and the ancient cultural interactions in Taiyuan and its neighboring areas.

The Yangshao Culture, which originated in the Yellow River’s middle reaches, is regarded as a major stream of Chinese culture and is well renowned for its superior pottery-making skills.

Cover Photo: A picture displays the location of the pentagonal house in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, north China. /Taiyuan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

Xinhua News Agency

Related Articles

700-Year-Old Lord Vishnu’s Sculpture Washes Ashore on Pedda Rushikonda Beach

23 March 2025

23 March 2025

On a serene Friday evening, the tranquil shores of Pedda Rushikonda beach were disrupted by an extraordinary sight: a centuries-old...

2000-years-old Hercules Rock Relief is being Vandalized

17 February 2024

17 February 2024

The 2000-year-old Hercules Rock Relief, located in Deliktaş, approximately 2.5 kilometers northeast of the Iznik district center of Bursa, is...

Decapitated skeletons of Roman ‘criminals’ found on HS2 route

5 February 2022

5 February 2022

Archaeologists working with the HS2 project have discovered 425 bodies on the route of the new railway line – around...

Evidence of the Birth of Archaic Monotheism in Anatolia found at Oluz Höyük, “Havangah prayer at Oluz Höyük”

27 March 2022

27 March 2022

Oluz Höyük, located 25 kilometres west of Amasya, is an ancient city which has rich findings of religious structuring. During...

Isotopic Evidence reveals surprising dietary practices of pre-agricultural human groups in Morocco

30 April 2024

30 April 2024

It has long been accepted wisdom that hunter-gatherer societies lived primarily off of meat. But fresh data from an innovative...

Researchers Finds Nearly 500 Ancient Ceremonial Sites in Southern Mexico with Lidar Technique

26 October 2021

26 October 2021

A team of international researchers led by the University of Arizona reported last year that they had uncovered the largest...

Amarna’s Hidden Chapter: From Abandoned Pharaoh’s City to Christian Monastic Hub

26 June 2025

26 June 2025

New archaeological findings have reshaped our understanding of Amarna, the once-glorious capital of ancient Egypt founded by Pharaoh Akhenaten in...

World’s Smallest Stegosaurus Track Found

14 March 2021

14 March 2021

The smallest trace of stegosaurus in the world that lived 155 million years ago was found. Stegosaurus, a herbivorous dinosaur,...

Archaeologists unearth the long-lost homestead of King Pompey in Lynn

3 July 2024

3 July 2024

Archaeologists from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and a historian from Northeastern University believe they might have found the...

Hittite Royal Seal Warns ‘Whoever Breaks This Will Die’

7 July 2024

7 July 2024

During the excavations in Kırıkkale, a cuneiform seal used by the royal family during the Hittite Empire was unearthed. The...

Rare waka unearthed from New Zealand River, after being hidden for 153 years

16 June 2023

16 June 2023

A waka -the traditional canoe of the Maori people- believed to be over 150 years old has been salvaged from...

The first Iberian lead plate inscribed with an archaic script was found at Pico de Los Ajos in Yátova

13 June 2021

13 June 2021

At the Pico de Los Ajos site in Valencia, Spain, a rare lead sheet engraved in ancient Iberian was unearthed....

Enigmas Roman Dodecahedron Uncovered by Amateur Archaeologists in the UK

24 January 2024

24 January 2024

Amateur archaeologists have unearthed a striking Roman dodecahedron in the serene countryside of Norton Disney, England, a mysterious class of...

New Archaeological Discoveries in Abu Dhabi shed light on Umm an-Nar Bronze Age culture (2700-2000 BCE)

1 February 2024

1 February 2024

New findings demonstrate the resilience and inventiveness of local Bronze Age societies (Umm an-Nar Bronze Age culture), as well as...

The Ephesus Massacre: 80,000 Romans Slaughtered in a Single Night of Blood and Betrayal

29 May 2025

29 May 2025

The Ephesus Massacre saw 80,000 or more Romans killed overnight during the Asiatic Vespers — one of the deadliest uprisings...