A team of Chinese and Japanese archaeologists has excavated a 6,000-year-old altar, believed to be the oldest ever found in China.
     The 2,200-square-foot altar, in the shape of an ellipse, was found near Dongting Lake in Hunan province, central China. Nearby, archaeologists found some 40 pits containing bones of people believed to have been offered as human sacrifices.
     He Jiejun, director of the Hunan Archaeological Research Society, said the altar apparently was used for community activities over a 300-year period.

Source: Associated Press