29 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

Scientists have discovered an ancient cemetery of flying reptiles roaming the Atacama desert of Chile 100 million years ago

7 April 2022

7 April 2022

In Chile, an unusual cemetery has been discovered that contains the well-preserved remains of prehistoric flying reptiles that flew over...

3000 years old wooden wishing well discovered in Germany

7 January 2023

7 January 2023

In the town of Germering, in the Germany state of Bavaria, archaeologists have unearthed the remains of a well-preserved Bronze...

Malaysian rock art found to depict Ruling class and Indigenous tribes conflict

23 August 2023

23 August 2023

Researchers discovered that two anthropomorphic figures of indigenous warriors were created amid geopolitical tensions with the ruling class and other...

Study Reveals Córdoba’s Advanced Sanitation System: A Medieval Model Unmatched in Europe for Centuries

25 April 2025

25 April 2025

Recent research has unveiled the impressive sanitation systems of medieval Córdoba, revealing that the city’s infrastructure was so advanced that...

A Royal Legacy? The Discovery of a Monumental Longhouse from the 3rd Century in Norway

2 February 2025

2 February 2025

Archaeologists have made a groundbreaking discovery at Øvre Eiker near Oslo, Norway unearthing a longhouse that surpasses any known structures...

Rare Astrolabe Discovered in Verona Sheds Light On Islamic, Jewish, and Christian Scientific Exchange

6 March 2024

6 March 2024

An eleventh-century rare astrolabe bearing Arabic and Hebrew inscriptions was recently discovered in a museum in Verona, Italy. It dates...

Millefiori Glass Plateques From the 5th Century AD Discovered in the Ancient Lycian City of Myra

9 September 2024

9 September 2024

One of the six leading cities of ancient Lycia and the birthplace of Santa Claus (or Sinterklaas in Dutch), the...

Ötzi the Iceman Had Dark Skin, Bald Head and Anatolian Ancestry -New study rewrites ancient history

17 August 2023

17 August 2023

New DNA analysis by German researchers shows that the famous glacier mummy Ötzi may have had dark skin, dark eyes,...

Excavations at Sheffield Castle Reveal the First Surviving Examples of 17th-Century Civil War Abatis

9 March 2025

9 March 2025

Excavations at Sheffield Castle, part of the Castlegate regeneration project by Sheffield City Council, have revealed the first known surviving...

Ancient Celtic Bone Pen Found in Southern Germany

14 December 2024

14 December 2024

From August to October this year, the State Office for the Preservation of Monuments (LAD) in the Stuttgart Regional Council...

Illegal digs reveal rare Roman-era mass grave in Turkey

28 July 2022

28 July 2022

A total of 27 skeletons were found in a burial pit carved into the rocks in Adıyaman province, an important...

Archaeologists found three large shipwrecks, 139 Viking Graves, and a ship-shaped mound in Sweden

21 October 2024

21 October 2024

Exciting discoveries in Sweden! Archaeologists were preparing to investigate a Stone Age settlement outside Varberg. But they came across a...

The tomb of the “Bird Oracle Markos” was found in the ancient city of Pergamon

31 August 2022

31 August 2022

During the excavations carried out in the Ancient City of Bergama, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the...

Archaeologists unearth a portrait of a king carved into stone in a 4,300-year-old Chinese Pyramid

9 August 2022

9 August 2022

A team of archaeologists say they have found what could be the portrait of a king carved into stone at...

Thetford Hoard: Evidence of Continued Paganism in East Anglia Until the 5th Century

25 April 2025

25 April 2025

Recent discoveries from a treasure hoard unearthed in Thetford Forest, East Anglia, reveal compelling evidence that the region remained pagan...