Shajing culture

The Shajing culture, an Iron Age civilization, thrived from around 800/700 to 100 BCE in the Gansu region of China. Known for its pastoral nomadism, it developed fortified settlements with walls made of compacted loess. The culture's proximity to the Saka, Ordos, and Upper Xiajiadian cultures suggests a rich tapestry of cultural interactions. The Shajing people were skilled in metallurgy, particularly ironwork, and their artifacts exhibit the Animal style typical of the northern steppes. Despite the arid conditions following the Middle Holocene, the culture managed to flourish through a combination of agriculture and pastoralism. The Shajing lands were eventually overrun by the Xiongnu and later conquered by the Han dynasty, which integrated the region into its expanding empire.