Railway construction discovers more than 20 settlement sites in China

Over 20 settlement sites were discovered in south-west China’s Sichuan province during archaeological evaluation prior to major railroad construction project.

Overview of one of the sites (by Western China Metropolis Daily)

Archaeological research was part of a larger construction project, involving extending the Chengdu-Kunming Railway from the city of Emei to Miyi. Since 2014, archaeologists reported to have documented 48 archaeological sites. The latest discoveries were made along the Anning river valley plain, on the length of nearly 100 kilometres.

One of the sites with marked graves (by Western China Metropolis Daily)

The sites are dated to the Neolithic, being over 4000 years old. Until now the area of 10000 square metres was excavated, revealing an abundance of archaeological features. Archaeological fieldwork unearthed more than 80 tombs, 500 sites including pits, house settlements and kilns, as well as other objects of daily use. According to the archaeologists these artefacts provide valuable materials to study the ancient society and culture of the pre-Qin period. Qin (221-206 BC) was the first dynasty of Imperial China, and its beginning is considered a cornerstone of Chinese civilisation by Chinese scholars.

Graves found at one of the sites (by Western China Metropolis Daily)
Archaeological features at one of the sites (by Western China Metropolis Daily)

According to the researchers, the finds in Anning river valley plain provide the earliest proof of human settlement from the Neolithic in south-western Sichuan and contains most widely distributed and largest number of human settlements from the pre-Qin period discovered in Sichuan province except for the Chengdu Plain.

Aerial picture of one of the sites (by Western China Metropolis Daily)

(after China’s Daily & Western China Metropolis Daily)

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