3,000-year-old royal menagerie found in China

"The excavation revealed 19 small and medium-sized pits containing bones of different animals, including: short-horned domesticated buffalo, deer, roe deer, wolves, leopards, foxes, serows, wild boars, porcupines, swans, cranes, geese, haws and eagles. What makes it clear that at least a portion of the animals were kept and likely raised in captivity rather than hunted for sacrifice is the discovery of bronze bells worn around several of the animals' necks. Twenty-nine bells were found in 13 of the 19 pits."

"The presence of such a vast collection of wildlife and the standardized treatment of these animals indicate a well-established network for acquiring, breeding and managing wildlife back in the Shang Dynasty, Niu said. Through multidisciplinary research, the team has unveiled the origins and husbandry practices of the animals found in the sacrificial pits. This further confirms the Shang Dynasty's powerful resource control and logistics reach, Niu added."

Excavation in Yin Ruins' royal mausoleum area uncovered sacrificial pits containing remains of numerous wild species. Artifacts indicate many animals were captive-bred rather than hunted, making this the earliest known collection of captive animals in China, predating Qin and Han examples by about a thousand years. Nineteen pits yielded bones of species including short-horned domesticated buffalo, deer, wolves, leopards, foxes, wild boars, porcupines, swans, cranes, geese and eagles. Bronze bells around several animals' necks (29 bells in 13 pits) indicate managed husbandry. Large pits contained human, elephant and horse skeletons; horses were numerous, placed in even numbers, with some skulls showing dents in the same place. Multidisciplinary analysis identified origins and husbandry practices, confirming extensive Shang resource control and complex royal sacrificial systems.

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