BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists have discovered the remains of an ancient city road dating back over 3,000 years at Yinxu, or the Yin Ruins, in central China's Henan Province.
The archaeologists have carried out excavations and confirmed the presence of a north-south main road, featuring a 1.6-kilometer-long ditch and dense wheel ruts on its surface. This discovery marks the longest urban thoroughfare ever found at the site, which had been the capital of the late Shang (Yin) Dynasty (1600 B.C.-1046 B.C.).
The new discovery was revealed at a briefing held by the National Cultural Heritage Administration on Thursday, highlighting the latest progress in a project exploring archaeology in China.
Fine sand mixed with fragments of pottery and small stones was found on the road surface. Cultural relics such as bronze horse bits and stone axes have also been unearthed from the surrounding soil, according to Niu Shishan, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences who is in charge of the excavation work.
"Over 3,000 years ago, this road was likely bustling with carriages and horses, teeming with the constant flow of traffic," Niu said.
This new discovery, along with previously uncovered remains of multiple roads and ditches, reveals an urban road network pattern of the Shang Dynasty capital, featuring a grid of three main east-west roads and three main north-south roads.
The newly discovered network of roads and ditches, confirmed this year, fills a gap in the large-scale linear remains on the north bank of the Huanhe River at the Yin ruins, Niu said, adding that these findings have provided archaeologists with a preliminary understanding of the urban framework in this area, marking a significant breakthrough in the study of the urban planning and layout of the capital city of Shang Dynasty.
The study of the scale, layout and functional zoning of the Yin Ruins has long been a key focus for archaeologists in the field.
After years of excavation on the north bank of the river, archaeologists in 2024 discovered multiple roads and associated ditches in the area. Some of these roads are more than 15 meters wide, with the widest point stretching nearly 30 meters, indicating that they were major thoroughfares in the capital at the time.
The main roads discovered in this area are spaced 320 to 550 meters apart, while some intermediate-level roads are located about 100 meters apart. These roads are interconnected, showing clear evidence of intentional human planning, according to Niu.
Based on previous findings of archaeological excavations, it has been confirmed that the roads in the Shang capital city can be generally classified into three levels according to their width, or referred to as main roads, streets and alleys, Niu said.
Situated in Henan's Anyang City, the 3,300-year-old Yin Ruins is the first documented late Shang Dynasty capital site in China, as confirmed by archaeological excavations and oracle bone inscriptions. ■
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