Emily Chan
At the Shimao site in Shaanxi, China, excavations have revealed one of the earliest and largest bone needle workshops ever found. The discovery sheds light on the development of craft specialization and the emergence of early states in China during the shift from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age.
The Shimao site is located between the Chinese Loess Plateau of the agropastoralists and the Mongolian Plateau of the herders/hunter-gatherers. Between 2016 and 2018, researchers explored the area, uncovering stone walls, ceremonial structures, and a large stone terrace mound.
According to Dr. Li Min, one of the project’s researchers, the Shimao workshop was “the first specialized workshop for the mass production of bone tools” that Chinese archaeologists have found.
In the past, examples of Neolithic bone tool production had only been for general purposes and were conducted on a smaller scale.
The Shimao workshop represents the beginning of industrial production, which was seen in cities during the later Bronze Age. The site is made up of three major features: the outer enclosure, the inner enclosure, and the central mound known as Huangchentai (royal terrace).
The bone needle workshop was at the top of the mound, accompanied by temples, guardhouses, petroglyphs, and the residences of elite members of society. To Dr. Li Min, the location of the workshop is unusual.
“For me, the unexpected finding is the location of the production on top of the central mound, associated with ritual architecture and possibly palatial buildings. This association shows a close-knit relationship between needle production, which probably served garment production, and the ritual authority at Shimao,” said Dr. Li Min.
It is believed that silk, hemp, and sheep-skin garments were manufactured at the workshop. These garments were likely shamanistic costumes decorated with turquoise beads, cowrie shells, and small copper objects.
Over 18,759 fragments of finished and partially finished bones were unburied during the excavations. Among them, there were 16,137 bone needles.
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