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April 16, 2015

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China unveils major archeological finds

Source: Shanghai Daily | April 16, 2015, Thursday | Print Edition

EXPERTS from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Archeology and Peking University have complied the top 10 list of archeological finds for 2014. Among the phenomenal findings are the country’s earliest man-made inkstick for writing and evidences of cultural exchange and trade on the ancient Silk Road. The final list that came out late last week was whittled down from 688 approved archeological excavation sites around China.

PALAEOLITHIC sites

Guangdong Province

More than 60 Palaeolithic sites discovered at Modaoshan Hill and Nanjiang River Basin in the southern Chinese province suggest the history of the region’s human activity is much longer than once believed.

Archeologists collected hundreds of stone artifacts, including stone flakes and hammers, indicating ancient humans lived there as early as 600,000 to 800,000 years ago, compared with 130,000 years ago thought previously.

Dongzhao ruins

Zhengzhou, Henan Province

The Dongzhao ancient city ruins in Zhengzhou cover an area of 6,000 square meters and date back to the Xia Dynasty (c. 21st-16th century BC), the first dynasty recorded in ancient China.

Interestingly, the relics of three ancient cities from different periods were stacked on top of one another. A child’s bones were also found within the wall of a city site. Archeologists believe these remains relate to ancient sacrificial rites.

Guojiamiao tombs

Zaoyang, Hubei Province

Archeological workers found the country’s earliest man-made inkstick for writing while excavating a cemetery group dating back to about 2,500 years ago in Zaoyang in central China’s Hubei Province.

Several traditional Chinese musical instruments, the oldest of their kinds, were also discovered. Among them was a se, a 25-string plucked instrument. These artifacts were unearthed in good condition at the Guojiamiao tomb group, which covers an area of 1.2 million square meters.

The Dabona cemetery

Xiangyun County, Yunnan Province

Dating back to more than 2,000 years ago, the tomb group provides a glance into the history of the Kunming Kingdom, the most powerful local administration in south China’s Yunnan Province at that time.

More than 280 pieces of artifacts made of bronze, iron, tin, ceramic, stone and wood, including weapons such as a swords and spears, were excavated. The site is seen as important for understanding the Bronze Age culture around the Erhai Lake area.

Early porcelain kiln site

Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province

Nearly 200 kilns dating back to 1,700 years ago with a large number of celadon porcelain artifacts were unearthed. The kilns were built in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220), the Three Kingdoms Period (AD 220-265), and the Western Jin Dynasty (AD 265-316) respectively.

This marks the first time Chinese archeologists have discovered ancient kilns from different time periods at the same site. Tons of celadon, the signature Yue Kiln product, have been excavated from the site. The wares are of various shapes and feature high quality glazing and exquisite craftsmanship.

The Yue Kilns, which are mainly in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province, were among the world’s oldest porcelain kilns. Since the earliest known Yue Kilns appeared during the late period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, celadon experienced robust development for about a millennium. Celadon, usually in pale green color, is often compared to jade.

Gurugyam Cemetery and Chuvthag Cemetery

Ngari, Tibet Autonomous Region

The excavations of the Gurugyam and Chuvthag cemeteries in Ngari shed light on the Zhangzhung Kingdom in west Tibet that dates back to 2,000 years ago. The burial sites yielded silks, golden death masks, gilt bronzes, silvers, irons, pottery, beads as well as human and animal bones.

The two cemeteries belong to the same Zhangzhung Culture which covered the whole Himalayan region. The finds shows a possible trade route linking Tibet to other parts of China. The findings suggest that about 1,800 years ago, people in the Zhangzhung Kingdom had already began to drink tea and raise cattle.

Yihenaoer Cemetery

Zhengxiangbai Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

The tomb group provides evidences of cultural exchange and trade about 1,500 years ago on the ancient Silk Road route extending from Inner Mongolia to Europe via central, western Asia. Unearthed artifacts such as gold necklaces and glass bowls show cultural features of countries around the Mediterranean Sea.

Ancient large state granary site

Junxian County, Henan Province

The Huiluo Granary and Liyang Granary are two different types of state granaries along the Grand Canal of China dating from the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618). These ancient facilities served the waterway’s successful World Heritage listing. Several hundred storage pits were believed to be at the site. A standard pit is about 10 meters in diameter and 7 to 9 meters in depth.

 

Ancient iron mining sites

Yanqing, Beijing

The mining sites at Dazhuangke consists of iron ore quarries, furnaces, workshops and residential sites. Ten iron smelting furnaces were unearthed. The sites are the largest well-preserved mining area of the Liao Dynasty (916-1125).

Luxurious chieftain tomb with golden artifacts

Zunyi, Guizhou Province

Three tombs were unearthed in the cemetery of Bozhou Chieftain Yang’s family in what is today’s Guizhou Province in southern China. A tomb belonging to the 14th chieftain Yang Jia and his wife yielded nearly one hundred gold and silver artifacts, including gold cups and plates. Even some of their coffin nails were made of gold and silver.

 

(Xinhua)

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