Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Zhejiang’s archaeological undertakings have developed vigorously. Archaeological discoveries include prehistoric sites, ancient tombs, ancient city sites, porcelain kiln sites, salt industry, seawalls, coastal defense, sea silk and other aspects, with rich and diverse contents.
Guided by Zhejiang Cultural Relics Bureau and organized by Zhejiang Archaeological Society, the selection of “Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries in Zhejiang Province in the New Era” and “Important Archaeological Discoveries in Zhejiang Province in the New Era” was launched on May 7th, 2022. Recently, Zhejiang Archaeological Society announced the award results.
Large-scale water conservancy project outside Liangzhu Ancient City, Yuhang, Hangzhou
Schematic diagram of multi-level reservoir area formed by peripheral water conservancy system
The large-scale water conservancy system around Liangzhu Ancient City is located in Pingyao Town, Yuhang District, Hangzhou. It is composed of 11 dams on the north and west sides of Liangzhu Ancient City, which is an organic part of the city outside the unified planning and design at the beginning of the construction of Liangzhu Ancient City. According to the shape and location, it can be divided into two types: long dike distributed along the piedmont and short dam connecting the two mountains, and short dam can be divided into Gukou high dam and Pingyuan low dam.
Western Zhou high-grade mound tombs in Qujiang District, Quzhou
Bronze component
The tombs are surrounded by mountains and rivers, with Tongshan River in the east, Shaoyuan River in the west, Qujiang River in the south and high mountains in the north. At present, there are 10 large mound tombs, 1 city site in the Western Zhou Dynasty and 13 sites in the area. The overall age of the tombs is the Western Zhou Dynasty, which is the largest and highest-ranking mound tombs in Jiangnan area during this period, and it is most likely the Mausoleum area of Gu Mi country.
Cixi Shanglin Lake Housi ‘ao Tang Five Dynasties Secret Porcelain Kiln Site
Official porcelain sagger
Hou ‘ao Kiln Site is located on the west bank of the middle part of Shanglin Lake in Qiaotou Town, Cixi City, Ningbo, and is the core kiln site in Yuelin Lake. Archaeological findings have revealed rich workshop relics including dragon kiln, house site, mud storage pond, glaze jar, etc., and unearthed a large number of fine celadon products of Yue kiln in late Tang Dynasty and Five Dynasties, including secret color porcelain.
Song Liuling Mausoleum Site in Shaoxing
Panorama of No.2 Cemetery F1
The Six Mausoleums of the Song Dynasty are the locations of emperors’ tombs in the Southern Song Dynasty, including seven rear mausoleums, including Huizong in the Northern Song Dynasty, Gaozong, Xiaozong, Guangzong, Ningzong, Lizong, Duzong’s Seven Mausoleums and Empress Dowager Zhao Cimeng. As an important link in the development history of China’s imperial tombs, the Southern Song Dynasty represents the inheritance of China’s traditional culture in southern China after the Song Dynasty, which is of great significance to the study of traditional etiquette, culture and architectural art.
Yiwu Qiaotou Site
Wuqikeng
Qiaotou Site is located on the west side of Qiaotou Village, Chengxi Street, Yiwu City, and is adjacent to the Qiantang River-Tongxi, a tributary of Yiwu River, in the east. The main body of the site belongs to the middle and late mountain culture, dating back about 8,000 years. The unearthed relics are mainly pottery and stone tools, and the original rice wine remains were detected in pot pottery. Painted pottery has the basic factors of cross-lake-bridge culture painted pottery, and the sun pattern is in the same strain, which is the earliest painted pottery found in China and even East Asia.
Yuyao jingtoushan site
Unearthed wood
Jingshan site is close to Hemudu and Tianluoshan sites, and is located at the junction of Siming Mountain and Yaojiang River Valley on the south bank of Hangzhou Bay. The cultural accumulation is covered by 5 ~ 8m thick marine deposits, and the remains such as open fire pits, food storage pits, areas with dense living utensils and wooden fences in tidal flats have been excavated. The unearthed artifacts include more than 400 pieces of pottery, stone tools, bone objects, shellfish, wood, woven fabrics, etc., as well as a large number of rich animal and plant remains.
Longshan Yueguo Guizu Cemetery
Panoramic aerial view of cemetery
No.107 ancient tomb in Anji Longshan is the largest and highest-ranking noble cemetery among the tombs of Yue nobles in Longshan. 571 pieces of funerary objects, such as printed pottery and primitive porcelain, were unearthed, and more than a thousand pieces of jade stone tools, mainly turquoise, were unearthed. Judging from the shape of the tombs, the age of funerary objects and cultural features, the tombs in the cemetery are all the tombs in the late Spring and Autumn Period, and the central main tomb is huge and magnificent, or reaches the level of princes.
Hangzhou Liangzhu Ancient City Site
Distribution map of relics in Mojiaoshan palace area
Liangzhu Ancient City Site was discovered and confirmed in 2007. After continuous archaeological excavation, investigation and exploration, its structural layout and evolution were basically clarified. The core area can be divided into three parts, the center of which is Mojiaoshan Palace Area with an area of about 300,000 square meters, surrounded by a city wall with an area of about 3 million square meters and an outer wall with an area of about 8 million square meters, and the stacking height decreases gradually from the inside to the outside, showing obvious grade differences, forming a triple structural system similar to Miyagi, Imperial City and Outer Wall in later capitals.
Yuyao Shi ‘ao Site
Paddy field road system
The ancient paddy field of Shi ‘ao Site is the largest, oldest, most complete and most abundant rice farming relic found in the world. Its initial age can be traced back to 6700 years ago, which reveals the changes of paddy field structure from Hemudu culture to Liangzhu culture and reflects the development of prehistoric rice farming. The discovery of ancient paddy fields shows that rice farming is an important economic support for the social development from Hemudu culture to Liangzhu culture.
Hangzhou Southern Song Lin ‘an City Site
Shang Cang Qiao City Wall
The underground water diversion facilities in Lin ‘an city were discovered for the first time in the archaeology of Lin ‘an city site in Southern Song Dynasty, which vividly reflected the urban planning, construction and residents’ living conditions of Lin ‘an city in Southern Song Dynasty. For the first time, the ruins of the east wall of Lin ‘an were exposed on a large scale. The excavation of the east wall of Hangzhou in the late Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties exemplified the urban changes of Hangzhou in physical form, which became an important extension of Lin ‘an city archaeology, and was an important example of the construction of southern cities in the historical period and the urban changes of Hangzhou since the Southern Song Dynasty.
Source: Zhejiang Cultural Relics Bureau