17 September 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.

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

Zeus Temple’s entrance was found in western Turkey’s Aizanoi Ancient City

31 July 2021

31 July 2021

During recent digs, the monumental entrance gate of the Zeus Temple sanctuary in the ancient city of Aizanoi, located in...

Rare Beetle Ornament Found in 2,500-Year-Old Hallstatt Period Child’s Burial

9 September 2025

9 September 2025

Archaeologists working in south-west Poland have made a remarkable discovery: a funerary ornament crafted from beetle parts, buried with a...

Ancient stone grenades discovered at Badaling Great Wall in Beijing

16 October 2023

16 October 2023

Chinese archaeologists have unearthed 59 ancient stone grenades from the ruins of a building in the western section of the...

9 Relics of Neanderthal Found in The Guattari Cave

8 May 2021

8 May 2021

Archaeologists in Italy have discovered the remains of nine Neanderthals who were reportedly killed and mauled by hyenas in their...

Bosphorus Was Frozen, People Crossed By Walking

14 February 2021

14 February 2021

The calendars showed the year 1954. Istanbul was experiencing an extremely freezing winter after many years. Heavy snowfall, hard enough...

Unique Scythian glass pendants found in the Poltava region of Ukraine

8 October 2021

8 October 2021

Archaeologists have unearthed unique amphora-shaped pendants near the town of Kotelva in the Poltava oblast of central Ukraine. A team...

4,000-year-old settlement found during Balasore town India

9 July 2021

9 July 2021

A 4,000-year-old settlement and ancient artifacts have been discovered in the Balasore district, India. The Odisha Institute for Maritime and...

Rare medieval bone flute unearthed in Kent, southeastern coast of England

22 November 2022

22 November 2022

Archaeologists from Cotswold Archaeology have unearthed a rare medieval bone flute during excavations in Herne Bay, located in Kent, southeastern...

An engraving on an almost 2,000-year-old knife believed to be the oldest runes ever found in Denmark has been discovered by archaeologists

22 January 2024

22 January 2024

Archaeologists have found a small knife with a completely unique runic inscription that can be dated almost 2000 years ago....

From Arnhem to Oldenburg: Nazi-Looted Artifacts Found in Oldenburg Museum Colection

30 August 2025

30 August 2025

A remarkable discovery at the Landesmuseum Natur und Mensch in Oldenburg has shed new light on the dark history of...

The altar of Zeus Temple discovered in western Turkey

1 September 2023

1 September 2023

Archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Magnesia, located in the western province of Aydın’s Germencik district, have uncovered the...

Karahantepe; It will radically change the way we look at the Neolithic Age

1 June 2022

1 June 2022

Findings on settled village life in the ongoing excavations in Karahantepe will profoundly change our knowledge of the Neolithic Age....

The inner wall was reached during the excavations of the tomb of the poet Aratos in the Soli Pompeiopolis Ancient City

13 August 2021

13 August 2021

The inner wall was reached during the excavations of the tomb of Aratos, the famous poet and astronomer of the...

A center on the Anatolian Mesopotamian trade route; Tavsanli Mound

24 October 2021

24 October 2021

Excavations at Tavşanlı mound, which is known to be the first settlement in Western Anatolia during the Bronze Age, continue....

Oldest Evidence of Head Shaping in Europe Discovered in Italian Cave

11 August 2025

11 August 2025

Archaeologists have uncovered the earliest known case of artificial cranial modification (ACM – deliberate head shaping) on the continent, dating...