Dagai Site

Dagai Site

The Dagai Site is located in Dagai Village, Maguan Township, Huimin County, one kilometer north of the Shahe River. It is a cultural site from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, discovered in the early 1970s and designated as a provincial-level key cultural relics protection unit.

The site measures 115 meters in length from north to south and 98 meters in width from east to west, with a total area of 11,270 square meters. At its center is an elevated platform spanning over 600 square meters, with the highest point about 4 meters above the ground surface. The soil is dark brown, and artifacts from the Shang and Zhou periods such as stone axes, grinding stones, bone awls, clam sickles, and pottery paddles have been unearthed. In 1973, a late Shang dynasty tomb was discovered here, yielding bronze items such as ding (cauldrons), yi (ritual vessels), gu (wine vessels), nao (bells), ge (dagger-axes), spears, knives, and axes, along with stone adzes, stone shovels, and jade rings. The tomb chamber is 12 meters long and 6 meters wide. Six sacrificial burials were found on the second-level terrace. There is also one side chamber each on the east, west, and north sides, each containing one human and one dog burial. Horses were also buried around the tomb chamber. The same character, interpreted as “Rong” (戎), was inscribed on the excavated bronze yi and nao, likely representing the clan emblem of the Rong people. Based on this, it is inferred that the Dagai Site is a remnant of Rongdi tribal activity during the Shang and Zhou periods.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units