Genetic analysis of remains from the 4,000-year-old Shimao settlement in northern China shows most residents descended from local farming communities. The study also found evidence of patrilineal family organization and that human sacrifices near the East Gate were mostly male.
Researchers led by Prof. Qiaomei Fu analyzed nuclear DNA from 169 ancient samples at Shimao and nearby sites. The settlement, built between 4200 and 3700 years ago in Shaanxi Province, covered four square kilometers and featured organized social systems with ritual activity.
The genomes indicate continuity with Yellow River populations from a millennium earlier, alongside links to steppe and southern groups. Family pedigrees spanning up to four generations point to patrilineal descent and patrilocal residence patterns.
Sacrificial remains near the East Gate were predominantly male, overturning earlier assumptions of mostly female victims. Female sacrifices appeared instead in elite cemetery areas, suggesting rituals were divided by gender and location.
The findings, published in Nature, offer the first direct genetic evidence of inheritance practices at the site and its role in early East Asian state formation.