Remains of ancient stone paving discovered in China's Hubei

Xinhua, January 26, 2021

Chinese archaeologists on Monday announced they have found the remains of ancient stone paving dating back to the Shang Dynasty (1600 B.C.-1046 B.C.) in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province.

The remains cover an area of about 30,000 square meters and are believed to have been used for sacrificial rituals. They are located in the Panlongcheng ruins which cover 3.5 square km.

A well-preserved, 2.4-meter-long and 2-meter-wide stone stylobate was unearthed. Archaeologists discovered signs of burnt soil surrounding the stylobate and numerous traces of human activities.

The discovery is extremely rare in the archaeological study of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties in the Yangtze River basin, and provides important materials for the study of Panlongcheng's layout and the beliefs of ancient people in the basin, according to experts.

The Panlongcheng ruins constitute the largest Xia Dynasty (2070 B.C.-1600 B.C.) or Shang Dynasty city ever found in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. They are also the settlement most representative of early Bronze Age civilizations in the basin.

http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2021-01/26/content_77154238.htm

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Older article:

Shang city state reveals secrets

Tan Weiyun
15:14 UTC+8, 2019-09-27



Imagine china

Panlongcheng had a palace complex, residential areas, graveyard and manual workshops.

Sited along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in Wuhan, Hubei Province, the Panlongcheng ruins, identified as an early Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC) city from 3,500 years ago, has been found to contain many rich relics within a distinct layout. As is the largest excavated Erligang site, it shows the southernmost reach of the Erligang culture — a Bronze Age urban civilization and archeological culture in China that existed from approximately 1510 to 1460 BC — at its peak.

Covering an area of 75,400 square meters, the city-site had a palace complex, residential areas, graveyard and manual workshop zones.

The prosperous urban area, a city prototype that evolved from tribal origins, indicates the ancient dynasty’s political reach had enlarged from north China to the south along the Yangtze River.

In the 12th century BC, the 23rd generation King Wuding of Shang conquered the Panlongcheng after a fierce battle.

It then became a place for his short stays in the south to handle his affairs. But Shang’s ambitious march to the south was stopped after Wuding and the dynasty decayed quickly.

More:
https://www.shine.cn/feature/art-culture/1909272838/