Banpo Village, is a Neolithic site in the Yellow River Valley, that dates back more than 6000 years. It is said to be one of the oldest human settlements in China.

The Yangshao Culture is said to be matrilineal, which means the women were in charge. The ancestry can be traced back to the mother’s line and not the father’s.

The site spans approximately 17 acres . It has over 100 houses, ceramics and a burial ground. The site was occupied around the time 4800 to 4000 BC before it was suddenly abandoned. Archaeologists believe that a large flood was the reason it was abandoned. No one knows where the people went or if they settled somewhere else.