An ancient relic excavation project in Jiawang district of Xuzhou city has shed light on the ancient row houses dating back to the Western Zhou Dynasty, which was the first time such ancient houses were discovered in archaeological excavations in north Jiangsu.
The Miaotaizi Relic is situated to the south of the No. 7 Middle School of Xuzhou.
Archaeological excavations were made in 2002, 2010 and 2017 since it was first found in 1959 by the provincial cultural heritage administration during a survey.
The most valuable discovery is a remnant brazen wall about 40 cm tall, which is the base of five row houses of the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Lasting from the 11th century BC to 771 BC, the Western Zhou Dynasty was established by King Wu. This dynasty included the reigns of 13 emperors and played a very important role in Chinese history. Because of its great developments, the Western Zhou is renowned as the period which saw the height of splendor of Prehistoric Times.
The archaeological team found a total of 87 various types of relics, including the sites of 14 house remnants. In addition, a large number of production and living utensils were unearthed.
Archeologists speculated that at that time the residents of the row houses were living a pastoral life of farming, fishing and hunting. Historically, Xuzhou used to be flooded by the old courses of the Yellow River, making it virtually impossible for historical sites during the Shang and Zhou dynasties to be persevered until today. The excavation of the Miaotaizi site is therefore of great significance to the study of the culture throughout the Western Zhou Dynasty in Northern Jiangsu.
(Source:Jiangsu International Channel)
