China News Agency, Wuhan, March 9th (Liang Ting and Zhu Shiqian) The reporter learned from the Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology on the 9th that according to the latest archaeological results, the area of the ancient city of Shijiahe in Tianmen, Hubei has been updated from 1.2 million square meters to 3.485 million square meters , is the largest ancient city in the same period in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River; at the same time, the water conservancy system of the ancient city was newly discovered, which provided new and important materials for further research on the ancient city of Shijiahe and the civilization process of the Yangtze River.
The Shijiahe site located in the heart of the Jianghan Plain in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River was discovered in the 1950s. It is the prehistoric settlement with the largest area, the longest duration, and the highest level found in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.
The span is from 5900 to 3800 years ago, and this period is a critical period for the formation of Chinese civilization.
In 1992, a large prehistoric city site - Shijiahe Ancient City was discovered here, with a proven area of 1.2 million square meters at that time.
Over the years, archaeological research on the ruins of Shijiahe Ancient City has never been interrupted.
In 2022, the Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, together with Peking University and Tianmen City Museum, will conduct a comprehensive and systematic investigation and exploration of the ancient city of Shijiahe with the help of multidisciplinary forces such as earth sciences, surveying and mapping, and water conservancy.
After field investigation, exploration and partial trial excavation, it is newly confirmed that the ancient city of Shijiahe is composed of inner city, moat (moat) and outer city, with a total area of 3.485 million square meters, which is comparable in size to the ancient city of Liangzhu in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
Archaeologists also discovered the water conservancy system of the ancient city, confirming for the first time the inner city rivers, water gates, dams, small reservoirs and other ancient city water conservancy facilities, and found the remains of prehistoric rice fields near the southwest water system of the ancient city.
According to expert analysis, the ancients of Shijiahe used this water conservancy system to realize flood control and water storage, divert water into the city, and meet production water for living and agricultural irrigation.
In addition, the exquisite jade unearthed from the Shijiahe site occupies an important position in China's prehistoric jade with exquisite carving skills and distinctive regional characteristics.
More than 400 jade wares have been unearthed from the site.
Among them, jade statues with different shapes are typical representatives. The exaggerated eyes and ears of some jade heads are highly similar to the facial features of bronze statues unearthed at Sanxingdui in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.
According to Fang Qin, the person in charge of the archaeological excavation project and the director of the Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology, the discovery of the large-scale Shijiahe ancient city and its water conservancy system has deepened the understanding of the planning and layout of the ancient city in the Yangtze River Basin, and also reflects the 5000 years ago. The middle reaches of the Yangtze River a few years ago produced a highly developed human civilization.
Archaeologists have conducted scientific archaeology at the Shijiahe site for nearly 70 years, deepening their understanding of prehistoric civilizations in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.
(over)