Remains of largest Stone Age building discovered in NW China

New Delhi, Jan 26 (ANI): Archaeologists have discovered the remains of the largest Stone Age building, thought to be a prehistoric 'town hall', in Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

The remains of the pentagon-shaped structure, dating back to the Yangshao culture era of 5,000 to 3,000 BC in the New Stone Age, was uncovered at the Xiahe Site in Baishui county, reports English.news.cn.

Covering 364 sq m, the building had a capacity to hold hundreds of people and might once have been used as a meeting hall, said Zhang Pengcheng, a researcher with the Shaanxi Archaeological Research Institute.

"The ancients erected four large wooden pillars and columns along the walls, making the structure of this size possible," he said.

Zhang said the multiple-layer walls, the calcite-plastered floor and a 1.8-meter-wide fireplace in the centre made the building 'quite special'.

Traces at the site suggested the aboveground structure was later carefully removed, rather than abandoned, he said.

Researchers are still considering its exact purpose. (ANI)