Chinese archaeologists said Thursday they have discovered the
remains of an ancient city in eastern Zhejiang Province, which
could better prove the long history of Chinese civilization.
Based on the remains, experts estimate the ancient city covered an
area of about three square kilometers.
The relic was found near Mojiao Mountain between Liangzhu and
Pingyao townships in Yuhang District of the provincial capital
Hangzhou, said Bao Xianlun, director of Zhejiang Provincial
Cultural Heritage Bureau.
Based on the remains, experts estimate the ancient city covered
an area of about three square kilometers. There are still pieces of
walls as high as four meters at the site.
The city wall on the right
side was built with earth.
The location of the ancient city should have been carefully
selected and it can be dated prior to the late period of the
Liangzhu culture (about 4,150 to 5,250 years ago), according to Liu
Bin, a research fellow with the bureau.
The Liangzhu culture is believed to be one of the key
prehistoric cultures in the Taihu Lake area. It is named after
Liangzhu, where a number of relic sites have been discovered since
the 1930s.
Yan Wenming, an archaeologist from Beijing University, said the
discovery of the city remains showed that the Liangzhu culture
period had entered an advanced development stage of prehistoric
civilization.
The site of the foundation
of the ancient city wall
The city wall with a
width?of 40 to 60 meters
The ancient city is
believed to be in a rectangle formation.
(Xinhua News Agency November 30, 2007)
