Moreover, a surprise for their archaeological excavation is that they discovered a ditch of nearly 20 meters long for sacrifice, which they didn't find in archaeological surveys before excavation.

According to He, they discovered three complete human bones from the three-layered ditch, and cow, pig, horse and bird bones belonging to at least 17 animals. What remains unknown is who or what the ditch was used to worship.

The ditch dates from the late Shang period when Yinxu was an active population center. "We used to believe there were no remains of the Yinxu time at the Huanbei Shang City site," says He. "The ditch tells us after the city was abandoned, the area was still regarded as somewhere important for Shang people."

Xu says: "Discovery of the ditch enhances our understanding of the layout of Yinxu. From last year's new findings surrounding the royal graves at Yinxu to this new discovery, our knowledge of the Yinxu area in the middle and late Shang period continues to grow."