A panel of leading archaeologists and historians has announced the 10 most important archaeological finds of 2003.
The decision, made on Sunday, was difficult because all of the 20-plus candidates were discoveries that add new and important dimensions to the history of the localities where they were found as well as to the nation.
After two days of discussion, the panel issued the final list. The decision was based on the historical, scientific and artistic values of all the finds, said Xu Pingfang, a renowned archaeologist and chairman of the Chinese Society of Archaeology.
New finds at Niuheliang site, Lingyuan County, Liaoning Province. The New Stone Age site was discovered 20 years ago, when researchers unearthed ruins of a prehistoric kingdom that consisted of altars, temples and tombs. The site dates back 5,500 to 6,000 years. Last year, a team of archaeologists started the 16th excavation at the site and brought to light more relics, including a jade human figurine and jade dragons.
Site of Xia dynasty Dashigu city, Zhengzhou, Henan Province. The lack of written records has rendered the Xia dynasty (21st century - 16th century BC) largely a mystery to researchers of Chinese history. However, the Dashigu city ruins, near the Mangshan Mountains and the Yellow River in the suburbs of Zhengzhou, offers more evidence about the prosperous years of the dynasty.
"The position of the ancient city is of great strategic importance, so we think that it may have been a military city or capital of a subordinate kingdom of the Xia dynasty," said Wang Wenhua, a researcher with the Zhengzhou Cultural Relics Archaeological Research Institute.
Bronze ware of Yangjia Village, Meixian County, Shaanxi Province. In January 2003, five farmers trying to take some soil from a hill sighted a piece of bronze. Instead of removing it, they guarded the site and brought in professional archaeologists. "The researchers made a very professional dig and surveyed the whole area," said Xu Pingfang. They discovered more than 4,000 Chinese characters inscribed on bronze pieces of the Western Zhou dynasty (1046 - 771 BC), a find that will enable them to study a leading family of the dynasty.
Bronze workshops near Zhouyuan, Fufeng County, Shaanxi Province. Zhouyuan has been a treasure trove of ancient bronze ware for decades. Just last week it was reported that local farmers there unearthed some 80 relics dating back to the Western Zhou dynasty. Two were bronze.
In April last year, archaeologists stumbled upon the ruins of bronze workshops spread across Zhuangbai and Lijia villages where it appears this bronze ware was made. The researchers named it the Lijia (Li Family) Bronze Workshop. Here they found, among other pieces, pottery moulds with intricate engravings for the making of the bronzes.
The discovery of the Lijia workshop demonstrated the high technical standard of bronze production of that period and will contribute greatly to the research on manufacturing techniques of bronze ware, according to Xu Tianjin, who headed a team of researchers from Peking University, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Shaanxi Archaeology Research Institute in the excavation.
Han dynasty terracotta warrior pits and earthenware kilns, Weishan, Shandong Province. The discovery of the Han dynasty (206 BC - AD 220) pit is China's "third largest pit of terracotta warriors and horses," says Professor Cui Dayong of Shandong University, who led the excavation.
Jin dynasty tomb beside Xiyan (Inkstone Washing) Pool, Linyi County, Shandong Province. The tomb, where three children were buried, yielded the largest number of relics from a Jin (AD 265 - 420) burial site unearthed so far in the province. Among the finds, some of which are now listed among the finest cultural relics found in recent years, is a pottery container in the shape of a man riding a lion, worked with great detail. Wearing armor and staring ahead, the rider has deep, large eyes, a distinct nose and a beard. The lion on which he is mounted has piercing eyes and a raised head, and is showing its teeth, giving it a fierce look.
Remains of North Sima Gate, Zhaoling Mausoleum, Shaanxi Province. The Tang dynasty (AD 618 - 907) is often referred to as a period in which ancient Chinese civilization reached its zenith. However, researchers had little idea how a Tang royal mausoleum was laid out. Excavations at the North Sima Gate to the Zhaoling Mausoleum provided significant clues to the study of imperial burial rites and mausoleum architecture in ancient China, especially in the Tang dynasty.
Liao Dynasty tomb, Tuerji Mountains, Tongliao, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. This tomb of a Khitan aristocrat is the second well-preserved large tomb from the Liao dynasty (AD 916 - 1125) found so far in China. Researchers found quantities of copper, silver, gold, silk and lacquer and wood pieces. Most of the gold and silver pieces are engraved with animal and human figures. The tomb's occupant was clad in 11 layers of clothing and placed inside a casket with colored paintings on the outside. Murals were found on the walls of the tomb chamber. The rich variety of materials provides insights into the history of the Khitans and the ethnic group's exchanges with the late Tang dynasty and early Liao dynasty.
Jining City ruins, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. These ruins of a Yuan dynasty (AD 1279 - 1368) city were stumbled upon during a highway construction survey. The site lies on the route for the highway between Hohhot, the regional capital, and Jining, slightly to its northeast. The most interesting finds at the ruins were ancient storage spaces. Researchers unearthed samples of pottery and porcelain that originated in the royal kilns of the Yuan dynasty.
Royal kilns, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province. The modern porcelain capital of China, supplier to the imperial household in the Ming (AD 1368 - 1644) and Qing (AD 1644 - 1911) dynasties, has a history that goes back more than 600 years. Some of the porcelain and pottery unearthed is rarely seen anywhere, whether in museums or private collections.
(China Daily April 14, 2004)
