This is an incredible, scene.

There's really no other, way to describe it, than to say,

it's a scene of mass, death.

A single family, frozen in time.

Buried in seconds, almost four, zero years ago.

A lot of people, refer to this as, China's pompeii.

Could this tragedy, hold clues to, the collapse of,

one of China's very, earliest, ancient kingdoms?

I'm Alan maca, an archaeologist and, expert in ancient,

civilizations,

and I'm investigating, China's distant past, from a whole,

new perspective space.

Today, state of the art, satellites see the world,

in stunning detail,

and reveal hidden, archaeology.

Enabling us to recreate, a lost ancient world,

invisible to the naked, eye.

Working alongside, leading Chinese experts,

my team and I, are traveling to, some of the country's,

most remote and, incredible landscapes.

And with cutting edge, science, investigating,

previously, unknown cultures, lost cities and,

devastating cataclysms.

This is ancient China, as you've never seen it, before.

300 miles west, of Beijing in china's, Shanxi province and,

on the edge, of barren desert, are the hills of the lus,

plateau.

I'm here to explore, a revolutionary new, discovery,

that's completely, rewriting the earliest, history of China.

This is shiimauo.

A four zero, year old citadel.

At the heart of a lost, ancient kingdom.

Nothing prepares you, to see this place, in person.

This is one, of the greatest, new discoveries in,

the archaeology of, the world.

This was clearly, a massive, massive city.

The significance of this, discovery became clear, just a few years ago.

Shimao may have been, the biggest city, of its time,

anywhere on the entire, planet.

And, Chinese archaeologists, are only just beginning,

to reveal its secrets.

Now, with new technology, I want to explore,

this extraordinary, ancient society.

Wow!

Congratulations!

What's behind its most, chilling discoveries?

Can tell, that some of the bones, are very young.

And can the fate, of China's other, lost civilizations help,

me solve one, of the greatest, mysteries of all?

Feel like, I'm in the presence, of something,

otherworldly.

Why, after 500 years, of living here,

did the people, of this great city?

Seemingly.

Just vanish.

Before this discovery, this was just, a grassy hill.

The only sign, of anything man made, was a simple,

line of rocks.

When they first found, this, they thought it was,

part of the Great Wall.

You can see why.

So they began, some excavations around, here and they found no,

this is two, zero years earlier, than the earliest,

phase of the Great Wall.

These walls are, incredibly, well preserved,

yet they're over four, zero years old.

That means s.

Shemau is built, at the same time, as stonehenge in Britain,

and thrived more than, two zero years, before the Roman empire.

I've been to, a lot of ancient cities, you don't actually,

feel like you're in, a city because, they're ruins,

but this, this place, I feel like I am there.

This would be, an extraordinary, discovery anywhere but,

to understand why, this is so, groundbreaking.

We need to see it, from space.

The steps structure, at the center, of the city,

is built into a hillside, high above the meeting,

point of two rivers.

It's in dusty, rugged terrain that, borders the sparsely,

populated ordos desert.

Experts never expected, to find a major, ancient city here.

It was long thought, that, Chinese civilization,

began much later, and hundreds of miles, to the south,

in the fertile plains, of the yellow river.

A stone walllled, settlement is totally, unexpected at this time,

period in this place.

Now I want to know, what kind of society,

built something so large, and so sophisticated.

I'm lucky to, have been invited, to explore the latest,

discoveries with Xiao, Jing.

One of the lead, archaeologists at shemal.

This is the path, up to the giant, central platform.

This is an immense, amount of labor here.

This is not ramed, earthrth, this is not mud brick,

this is stone, that had to be, brought up here,

to the site I, it looks like, nothing I've ever seen.

It's the first time, in the history, of a Chinese archaeology,

we've found a4000 year old structure, built this way.

I know that, I had never expected, to see anything,

like this, but it's, uh,

it's amazing to hear, that you all, had never expected,

to find anything, uh, this far north,

at this time.

This vast stepped, structure is at, the center of the city.

The team is currently, excavating the remains, of buildings that once,

stood at the top.

They're trying to, figure out how, this society worked.

This is the top, of the giant, central platform.

The whole area covers20,000 square meters.

In this prosperous city, the high class people,

would live here.

It included the king's, palace, his administration,

and large scale artisans, workshops.

Okay, so all of the elites, were here living,

working.

The king was here.

Ừ.