23 May 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

New Insights From Researchers About The World’s Longest Aqueduct

11 May 2021

11 May 2021

The Roman Empire’s aqueducts are magnificent specimens of the art of architecture. Although centuries have passed since these aqueducts were...

3000 years old wooden wishing well discovered in Germany

7 January 2023

7 January 2023

In the town of Germering, in the Germany state of Bavaria, archaeologists have unearthed the remains of a well-preserved Bronze...

Venice of the Pacific: The mysterious Micronesian ruins of Nan Madol

12 July 2022

12 July 2022

Sometimes art and architecture challenge our perceptions of what was formerly thought to be feasible and what our forefathers were...

Ancient tomb discovered under parking lot greenery in Japan

16 September 2023

16 September 2023

Shrubbery intended to illuminate a corner of a nondescript parking lot in Japan’s Nara prefecture turned out to be hiding...

Ancient terracotta dancers, and musicians unearthed in China

13 November 2022

13 November 2022

Chinese archaeologists recently discovered a large group of terracotta figurines from a tomb in a group dating to the Northern...

Polish archaeologists have uncovered nine crocodile heads within ancient Egyptian tombs of nobles

25 December 2022

25 December 2022

Polish archaeologists excavating the Theban Necropolis in Egypt discovered nine crocodile heads hidden inside two tombs belonging to high-ranking nobles....

Are the skeletons found in the restoration of the Bukoleon Palace the victims of the Crusader army massacre in Constantinople?

29 November 2021

29 November 2021

It is thought that the 7 skeletons messy found in the Bukoleon Palace excavations may be the victims of the...

Unveiling the Secrets of the “Air-Dried Chaplain”: A Unique Mummification Method Discovered in Austria

4 May 2025

4 May 2025

Researchers investigating a remarkably well-preserved mummy discovered in the church crypt of St. Thomas am Blasenstein, a small village in...

Archaeologists discover a new megalithic monument in heart of Andalusia in southern Spain – 5,000-year-old secret

5 May 2023

5 May 2023

Archaeologists in Spain uncovered a previously overlooked tomb while investigating the formation of La Peña de los Enamorados, also known...

Knights-era painting found behind bricked-up arch at Museum of Archaeology in Malta

30 November 2021

30 November 2021

A newly found Knights-era painting hidden behind a bricked-up arch at the Museum of Archaeology might give insight into the...

Archaeologists discover the Americas’ oldest adobe architecture

7 December 2021

7 December 2021

On the north coast of Peru, researchers have discovered the oldest adobe architecture in the Americas, constructed with ancient mud...

Archaeologists in Peru discover a mummy tied with 800-year-old ropes

28 November 2021

28 November 2021

On Peru’s central coast, archaeologists discovered a mummy estimated to be at least 800 years old. The mummy’s body was...

Archaeologists have discovered the ruins of what may be one of the four lost Ancient Egyptian “Sun Temples”

31 July 2022

31 July 2022

A Polish and Italian archaeological mission, while conducting an excavation in the Abusir necropolis near Saqqara in Egypt, unearthed the...

Iraq’s historic Arch of Ctesiphon undergoes restoration work

28 November 2021

28 November 2021

Iraq’s Arch of Ctesiphon, the world’s largest brick-built arch, is having restoration work to return it to its former splendour,...

Human remains found at prison sewer site are 4,500 years old in East Yorkshire

26 March 2024

26 March 2024

Archaeologists investigating the site of a new sewer to serve a jail being built at Full Sutton in East Yorkshire,...