Secrets of China's ancient history have been uncovered through a new 2,000-year-old discovery made by archaeologists in the country.
Working in the city of Shaoxing, which lies in China's eastern Zhejiang Province, scientists in the area have uncovered an incredibly well-preserved settlement that could be as old as 2,500 years.
Dating back to that period of time is the Yue Kingdom, which existed during the period known as the 'Warring States', where modern-day China was split up in to a number of localised kingdoms that - surprise, surprise - engaged in combat against each other.
This was a period between 475 BC and 221 BC, putting the discovery as a maximum of around 2,475 years old.
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Found back in June 2024, the research on the site has just been released after it was initially discovered while a huge 430-square-kilometre water treatment plan was under construction.
Doing ground work in the area, workers came across what they established were unusual layers of soil.
The Zhejiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology got involved and after further study through an emergency study of the land, revealed they had accidentally come across the existence of a waterfront settlement in the area.
And after analysing the site, they dated this to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods of history.
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Now known as the Baicaoyuan site, it was determined to be a business and maritime hub. But what does this mean in archaeology terms?
Well, the site is incredibly sophisticated.
As Archaeology Only Magazine reports: "Two major wooden structures measuring approximately 1,300 square meters were identified.
"The first was a stilted, terraced house with walls made of interwoven wooden posts, thatch, and reeds, bound together by grass ropes.
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"The second structure consisted of wooden piles laid out in ten parallel rows and capped with horizontal beams and layers of bark, suggesting another elevated construction."
Dr. Zhou Xiaolong, a specialist in timber structures, said that the importance of these discoveries shouldn't be underestimated.
He said: “This wasn’t haphazard construction.
"The mortise-and-tenon joints show precision we typically associate with later dynasties.
"These builders thought in three dimensions."
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There's also evidence of artefacts including ret pottery tripods, hard pottery urns, porcelain cups, and bronze drill bits.
And in a more left-field discovery, there was evidence of ritual pig burials. In these instances, complete pig skeletons were laid out facing the ancient Cao’e River, suggesting certain religious or cultural practices took place with the animal carcasses in ancient China.
Archaeologists and urban planners are now working in tandem to establish protective measures for the site, hoping to create a 'time capsule' that can be preserved for future humanity to look back on the glimpse in to a past life.
Topics: China, History, World News, Archaeology
Tom Earnshaw