A settlement site of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 BC) in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province.
A bronze sword (top) and a pottery vessel unearthed at the site.
A bronze sword (top) and a pottery vessel unearthed at the site.
The excavation of a large Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 BC) settlement in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, demonstrates how archaeology conducted before construction can enable systematic research in a region that once served as an ancient capital. The approach could also offer valuable lessons for other parts of the province facing similar development pressures, archaeologists say.
"The Nanshan site is both an important discovery in Eastern Zhou archaeology in the region and a strong example of how pre-construction archaeology can be implemented," says Fang Xiangming, director of the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.
Shaoxing, once the capital of the ancient Yue state, has seen extensive damage to its archaeological heritage amid urban development since the 1980s, particularly during the 1990s, Fang says.
The situation began to change with the adoption of pre-construction archaeology. Authorities in Yuecheng district, Shaoxing, have led the province's efforts, overseeing a four-and-a-half-year excavation at Nanshan.
From November 2021 to April this year, the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the Shaoxing Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and the Yuecheng District Cultural Relics Protection Institute jointly excavated plot G-8, the eastern area of the Nanshan site, which covered 33,800 square meters.
Discovered in October 2020 through pre-construction archaeological surveys, the Nanshan site covers about 120,000 sq m. A road divides it into eastern and western sections, with cultural deposits dating mainly to the Eastern Zhou period. Excavations have partially revealed seven loess platforms separated by ancient river channels, 11 house foundations, 2,296 ash pits, 327 ash ditches, 18 wells and riverbank revetments.
Although Nanshan covers a larger area, Fang says Dahutou, another Yue relic site, is more archaeologically significant because it was excavated in its entirety.
"Except for tombs, it had everything it should have. So for Yue archaeology, especially settlement archaeology, this gives us a very good grasp of the overall cultural connotation and appearance," Fang adds.
A defining feature of the Nanshan settlement is the interplay between earthen platforms and waterways. The channels run mainly along north-south and east-west axes and connect to the Potang River. The east-west channels are 10 to 20 meters wide, while those running north-south are about 5 meters wide. Together, they form a three-tier water network.
The Huangmiao, Yunsong and Potang upstream dam system dates to the same period as the settlement. Rows of wooden stakes at channel junctions and platform edges indicate water management.
Artifacts recovered from the site include proto-porcelain, stamped hard pottery, fine clay and sandy pottery, bronzes, stone and wood objects, and plant seeds and animal bones. Bronze finds include weapons, agricultural tools and everyday objects, along with two small Yuestyle ding vessels.
Isotopic analysis suggests that arsenic-bearing lead came from Yinshan in Shangyu, a district of Shaoxing, while high-tin lead-tin alloy materials came from the Nanling region.
Plant remains include carbonized rice, millet, winter melon, peach, Chinese torreya, plum, bottle gourd, kiwifruit, and muskmelon.
Nanshan is the largest Eastern Zhou settlement excavated in Shaoxing and a typical settlement on the outskirts of the Yue capital. Together with Dahutou, Tingshan, Jizhong, Hechangfang, and Bakou, it outlines social organization around 2,500 years ago and fills the previous gap in settlement archaeology of Yue culture, Fang says.
wangqian@chinadaily.com.cn
