Ancient Chinese DNA shows gender bias in human sacrifice ritual 4,000 years ago
Female sacrifice in China dates back thousands of years earlier than previously believed, a study of ancient DNA has revealed.
Evidence from elite burials at a large Stone Age settlement in northwestern China also suggests the existence of an early hierarchical society, with gender preference relating to the type of sacrificial ritual, according to the Chinese archaeologists and anthropologists behind the study.
Shimao, located in the Yellow River valley in Shaanxi province, is one of the...
South China Morning Post
Ancient Chinese DNA shows gender bias in human sacrifice ritual 4,000 years ago
Sacrificial victims in mass burials were mostly male, while burial attendants for nobles or elites were overwhelmingly female, study finds.