Remains of the Yin Civilization near Anyang

More than 3000 years ago Anyang, some 190km/120mi north of Zhengzhou, was the capital of the Yin or Shang dynasty. For 273 years it was a major center of power, but after the fall of the Shang dynasty it also soon went into decline. Ruins of the town near the village of Xiaotun were first excavated in 1899. Many valuable archaeological finds came to light over an area measuring 8km/5mi from east to west and 3km/2mi from north to south; these included more than 100,000 carvings and inscriptions on tortoise-shell and ox-bones as well as bronze objects.