9 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Ancient Ruins of an Ancient Capital Found in Beijing

After two years of excavation, Chinese archaeologists recently exposed Zhongdu, the capital city of the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) next to the Ritz financial and commercial district in Beijing.

Although only three sections of the ancient city walls, namely the Gaoloucun section to the west and the Wanquansi and Fenghuangzui sections to the south, have been preserved, a total of 2,500 square meters of the bygone capital were discovered during excavations by the Beijing Cultural Relics Institute. Besides, part of the ancient city was found during the construction of the Beijing metro in the Fengtai district.

Beijing was previously considered an important city for border defense or temporary capital. However, Ding Lina, a researcher in charge of the archaeological project, said that from the Jin Dynasty, it became the second choice for the capital in the following dynasties. “This discovery marks a historical turning point in the selection and construction of China‘s capital cities.”

The siege of Zhongdu (modern Beijing), as depicted in the Persian Jami’ al-Tarikh by Rashid-al-Din Hamadani. Source

Zhongdu served as the capital of Jin for over six decades during the heyday of the dynasty during about 120 years of rule and was later abandoned at the end of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).

“The overlap between the ancient capital and the modern city has made the excavation hard as the southern part of the city wall was almost destroyed during road and landfill construction,” Ding said.

During the excavation, archaeologists also discovered protruding walls, which were used as defensive facilities. Researchers say that each protruding city wall has three faces, which can greatly broaden the guard’s vision and enhance the overall defense capabilities.

The excavation team adopted various high-tech measures to better detect and record cultural relics. They collected soil samples for further analysis of plant pollen to understand the agricultural conditions at that time. Some unearthed animal specimens were also analyzed to study the living environment and eating patterns in the past.

Archaeologists believe that Zhongdu was rebuilt on the basis of Youzhou City in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and Nanjing (907-1125) in the Liao Dynasty, but few cultural relics can prove this. Ding said that tombs dating back to the Tang and Liao period were found under the moderate city wall, providing direct evidence for this claim.

The project also initiated detailed measurement and mapping and 3D laser scanning, laying a solid foundation for future restoration and display of cultural relics.

Source of news: http://www.china.org.cn

Related Articles

Evidence of Medieval Plague Victims Buried With “Significant Care” Found

23 June 2021

23 June 2021

The Black Death, which killed between 40 and 60% of Europe’s population in the mid-14th century, was a devastating epidemic...

The rich-poor distinction draws attention in the nutrition of the inhabitants of the Ancient City of Pergamon

27 November 2021

27 November 2021

The hegemony of wealth to the poor, arising from the ruler, elite structure, property ownership, unjust acquisition, and distribution of...

Oldest known arrowheads uncovered in the Americas

24 December 2022

24 December 2022

Archaeologists from Oregon State University have discovered projectile points in Idaho that are thousands of years older than any that...

A well-preserved lion mosaic discovered in the Ancient City of Prusias ad Hypium

16 November 2023

16 November 2023

Archaeologists found a lion mosaic during excavations carried out in the Ancient City of Prusias ad Hypium. Excavations have been...

The Oldest Odin Inscription in the World Found in the Vindelev treasure

8 March 2023

8 March 2023

Scientists have identified the earliest known inscription referring to the Norse god Odin on part of a gold disc unearthed...

Remains of a 5-year-old girl found under Real Alcázar in Spain

9 May 2021

9 May 2021

The body of a five-year-old fair-haired girl who lived in the late Middle Ages and was most likely of noble...

Archaeologists have unearthed a flawless Roman blue glass bowl in the Dutch city of Nijmegen

23 January 2022

23 January 2022

Archaeologists excavating the site of a comprehensive housing and green space development in Nijmegen’s Winkelsteeg, one of the oldest cities...

Scientists Reconstruct Face Of 16th Century Italian ‘Vampire’ Buried With Brick In Mouth

23 March 2024

23 March 2024

A 16th-century ‘vampire‘ who was buried with a stone brick jammed in her mouth over fears she would feed on...

2,000-Year-Old Mysterious Kangju Burial Mound Filled with Gold Jewelry and Mirror Found in Kazakhstan

2 June 2024

2 June 2024

Archaeologists in Kazakhstan have unearthed gold jewelry, arrowheads, and a large, bronze mirror from three burial mounds in the Tolebaitobe...

Iconic 2,500-Year-Old Coțofenești Helmet and Dacian Treasures Stolen from Dutch Museum

26 January 2025

26 January 2025

A heist at the Drents Museum in Assen, Netherlands, has resulted in the theft of several invaluable artifacts from the...

The oldest trace of human activity discovered in North America dates back 23,000 years

26 September 2021

26 September 2021

A recent fossil footprint found in New Mexico, the United States, indicates that humans existed in North America about 23,000...

A 2000-year-old wooden figure was unearthed in a Buckinghamshire ditch

13 January 2022

13 January 2022

An extremely rare, carved wooden figure from the early Roman era has been discovered in a waterlogged ditch during work...

Kent Archaeological Society purchased an Anglo-Saxon hoard ahead of a London auction

1 November 2022

1 November 2022

The Kent Archaeological Society has bought a large collection of Anglo-Saxon artifacts from the sixth and seventh centuries known as...

New studies confirm that there was indeed a shipyard at Lothal, the commercial center of the Harappan civilization and world’s oldest port

6 September 2024

6 September 2024

Since the discovery of Harappan sites at Lothal, located about 30 kilometers inland from the coast of the Gulf of...

Persian-era plaster walls were discovered during excavations at Zeyve Höyük in central Turkey

2 August 2022

2 August 2022

This year’s excavations at Porsuk-Zeyve Höyük (Zeyve Mound) near the Porsuk village of the Ulukışla district of Niğde, located in...