They ruled China back in the second millennium BC, and now a new study has shed light on the mysterious Shang Dynasty.
Researchers from New York University and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences have revealed that the Shang Dynasty would regularly sacrifice puppies , with many buried while still alive.
In the study, the researchers rounded up data from several Shang Dynasty burial sites where dog sacrifices occurred.
At one site in the ancient city of Zhengzhou, the researchers discovered eight pits containing the remains of 92 tied-up dogs - several of which are believed to have been buried alive.
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Speaking to Live Science, Roderick Campbell, co-author of the study, said: “Puppies, that sounds horrible. Why would you sacrifice a cute little puppy?
“On the other hand, if it's not your puppy and if you're living in a society where you don't have the same assumptions of dogs and cuteness … it's a cheaper investment in the animal. You don't have to raise it yourself."
While the researchers initially thought that the dogs were beloved pets, buried with their owners, an analysis of the bones revealed that this wasn’t the case.
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Instead, they found that 73% of the dogs were less than 1-year-old when they died, while 37% were younger than six months.
According to the researchers, this suggests that puppies were used as stand-ins for human sacrifices.
In fact, the researchers even go so far as to suggest that puppies may have been raised specifically for sacrifice.
Mr Campbell added: “From a Bronze-Age economic perspective, that seems like a likely avenue.”
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