City walls from China's earliest dynasty discovered in Henan

Ancient city walls unearthed in central China's Henan Province have been identified as dating back to the early Xia Dynasty (2070-1600 BC), offering new evidence for the study of this period, according to archaeologists.

The rammed earth walls were found at the Liuzhuang relic site in Taikang County, Zhoukou City. The county was named after an emperor of the Xia Dynasty, and the site spans over 80,000 square meters.

According to Li Shiwei, a researcher with the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology overseeing the excavation, four walls were discovered in the east, west, south, and north directions, measuring between 2.6 and 3.4 meters in width. The outer sides of the walls feature multiple layers of slope protection.

Li said that the four walls formed a closed rectangular city measuring 126 meters in length and 100 meters in width. A gap in the middle of the south wall is believed by archaeologists to have been a gate or entrance.

"The latest Carbon-14 dating indicates that the walls were built, used, and abandoned between 1964 BC and 1833 BC, coinciding with the early Xia Dynasty in China," Li added.

At the Liuzhuang relic site, archaeologists also found the remains of 16 houses dating back to the late period of the Longshan Culture, a civilization that thrived in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. They also unearthed pottery kilns, wells, and various artifacts, including pottery, bone wares, and stone tools.

"The findings provide new data for exploring the architectural techniques, layout, and evolution of settlement patterns at small urban sites during the late Longshan period," Li said.

The Liuzhuang relic site is among several Xia Dynasty sites discovered in eastern Henan in recent years. According to the researcher, these findings also contribute to the study of settlements, society, and the regional civilization process of the early Xia period.