Shang Dynasty Complex Discovered

Large ancient Shang Dynasty site discovered in Shijiazhuang
14:00, May 07, 2010
A large ancient Shang Dynasty site was discovered for the first time in Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei Province, also known as the "Old Haunt of the Shang Dynasty," the Shijiazhuang Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics announced.

Some of the excavated pits and unearthed pottery fragments were unveiled on May 5.

The archaeological site, named the Beihuzhuang Site, is located in Beihuzhuang Village, north of Li Village, a suburb of Shijiazhuang, said Duan Hongzhen, the deputy director of the Hebei Institute of Cultural Relics.

The discovery was an "accident," said Duan Hongzhen. At the very beginning, cultural relic experts could not determine the specific age of the site until excavation began.

Judging from the stratigraphical age – a determination based on the position of objects within rock layers – of the unearthed articles, cultural relic experts determined that the Beihuzhuang Site is from the Shang Dynasty with a history of 3,600 to 4,000 years.

According to estimates, the area of the site is about 150,000 square meters, and 5,000 or 6,000 square meters will be preserved.

At present, 600 square meters have been excavated and the excavation area is expected to reach 2,000 square meters. A great deal of pottery fragments, tools for production and daily life like stone scoops and bone awls and a pair of complete staghounds have been found at the site.

By People's Daily Online