Shang royal mausoleum area and its surroundings at Yinxu in Anyang, Henan

Abstract In 2021 and 2022, an extensive survey was conducted north of the Huanhe River, focusing on the Shang royal mausoleum area at Yinxu. Two moats encircling the boundary of the mausoleum area and more than 470 sacrificial pits were discovered. In 2022, four sites were excavated, yielding clear stratigraphic and material evidence that the two moats were in use during the late Shang dynasty (Dayi Shang period) and served as “dry moats” around the royal mausoleum area. The Western Zhou remains, located southwest of the mausoleum area, have also been excavated and dated to the early Western Zhou.