The reporter recently learned from the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology that the Jiahu site, which has attracted much attention for the discovery of China's earliest physical musical instrument, the bone flute, has made a significant breakthrough in archaeological excavation. Archaeologists have discovered the presence of wooden coffins in multiple tombs, indicating that the coffin system, an important component of ancient Chinese ritual, had already emerged over 8000 years ago. This is the earliest wooden coffin discovered in China so far, which advanced the appearance of wooden burial objects by about 2000 years. ”Wei Xingtao, Vice President of Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, said. Previously, the academic community generally believed that wooden coffins first appeared in the early Dawenkou culture, about 6000 years ago. ”Han Jianye, a professor at the School of History of Renmin University of China and president of the Zhengzhou Source of China and Songshan Civilization Research Association, said, "The discovery of the wooden coffin at the Jiahu site provides new materials for exploring the origin of prehistoric wooden coffins." The Jiahu site is located in Jiahu Village, Wuyang County, Henan Province, and is a large-scale and rich site from the early Neolithic period. A large number of bone flutes, turtle shells, pottery, stone tools, etc. have been unearthed before, which is of great significance for exploring the origin of Chinese civilization. Since 2023, the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology has continued to carry out relevant archaeological excavations around the site. The latest confirmation is that this is a circular moat settlement with an area of 65000 square meters, and there are functional zones inside. In the central cemetery, we discovered over 200 tombs in total, of which 10 showed signs of wooden coffins. ”Li Jindou, the person in charge of the excavation site of Jiahu Site, introduced that some wooden coffins are about 2 meters long, 0.6 meters wide, and 0.06 meters thick. "Analysis of the soil where they are located shows that the lignin content is significantly higher than that of the surrounding areas." It is reported that the majority of tombs in the central cemetery of Jiahu Site have accompanying burial objects, including bone flutes, turquoise, pottery, etc., some of which are particularly finely processed. In addition to the wooden coffin, archaeologists have also discovered more than 20 bone flutes, and the phenomenon of "one tomb with five flutes" was first discovered in one of the tombs. The phenomenon of varying burial locations, burial areas, burial equipment, types and richness of burial objects indicates that social differentiation has emerged within the Jiahu site. ”Wei Xingtao said, "The combination of Ming utensils such as tripods, jars, and pots, as well as different forms of sacrificial pits, also means that early funeral customs have begun to form. Currently, archaeological protection greenhouses have been built in the core area of the Jiahu site. Next, we will extract the entire important tombs and transfer them to the laboratory for more detailed excavation and research, "said Li Jindou. (New Society)