Culture

Experts and scholars gather to discuss new archaeological achievements at the Liulihe site, known as the "Source of Beijing City"

2025-03-10   

The Liulihe Site, known as the "source of Beijing", is currently the largest known Western Zhou site in the southern foothills of the Yanshan Mountains. It is widely recognized by academia as the capital and first fiefdom of the Yan state in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and is also the earliest archaeological discovery of urban relics in Beijing. Since the resumption of archaeological excavation work in 2019, the Liulihe site has achieved many important gains in exploration and excavation. What is the value of these archaeological discoveries and achievements? What is the significance of improving the interpretation, protection, and utilization level of the value of Beijing's major archaeological sites? Recently, the expert evaluation meeting for new archaeological achievements of the Liulihe Site was held in Beijing. More than 30 experts and scholars from well-known universities and academic institutions in China gathered together to discuss the value of the Liulihe Site from multiple dimensions and deep levels, and to consolidate a consensus on its interpretation. At the meeting, the Beijing Institute of Archaeology first presented its archaeological results. The newly discovered outer city wall and outer moat at the Liulihe site confirm that the city site has a dual structure of inner and outer cities, breaking through the traditional understanding of the complexity of the Yan capital city in the Western Zhou Dynasty. The discovery of large rammed earth building foundations and water wells in the inner city may provide clues for exploring urban zoning. The newly excavated tombs include noble and commoner tombs. The commoner cemetery was first discovered in the north direction of the city, and some burial styles and accompanying objects show the influence of Shang culture. Wu Xiaohong, a distinguished professor of liberal arts at Peking University, a distinguished professor of Changjiang Scholars, and the director of the Archaeology Chronology Professional Committee of the Chinese Archaeological Society, reported on the research results of chronology. The dating work found that the M1902 tomb with the inscription "Taibao Yongyan" was formed between 1045-1010BC, providing a scientific basis for the founding history of Beijing in 3070. Ning Chaozuo, a researcher at the School of Archaeology and Museology of Peking University and a visiting researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Human History in Germany, reported on the research results of ancient DNA. Through high-resolution phylogenetic identification of the entire human genome, a four generation family tree was established in the Chengbei cemetery, and it was found that there was a phenomenon of consanguineous marriage. Wang Jing, the on-site manager of the archaeological excavation project at the Beijing Institute of Archaeology, reported on the archaeological results. The newly discovered outer city walls and trenches at the Liulihe site clearly indicate the existence of a dual structure of inner and outer city walls. The scale of the city site has expanded to over one million square meters, breaking through the traditional understanding of the complexity of the Western Zhou Dynasty's feudal cities. The newly discovered large rammed earth building site in the inner city covers an area of over 2300 square meters, and its combination with a large rammed earth well is not seen in other sites. Based on a thorough review of previous excavation data, a systematic exploration was conducted to confirm the burial site of the Yan Hou family, which can fill the gap in the missing Yan Hou lineage in the literature. The civilian cemetery in the north of the city is the first Western Zhou tomb discovered in the north direction of the inner city, greatly supplementing archaeological materials from the mid Western Zhou period. In addition, Wang Jing also reported on other research achievements made by interdisciplinary work at the site. Experts and scholars present discussed and exchanged ideas on topics such as "Evaluation of New Archaeological Achievements at the Liulihe Site" and "Protection and Display of the Liulihe Archaeological Site Park", and reached a consensus on archaeological research achievements such as "powerful witness to national rule and border governance under the feudal system", "providing key materials for studying the constituent elements of the capital city of the Western Zhou Dynasty", "providing new perspectives for exploring urban units during the Western Zhou Dynasty", "providing important archaeological evidence for filling the gap in the Yan Hou lineage", and "reconstructing ancient family trees for the first time in the field of Shang and Zhou archaeology" at the Liulihe Site. It is reported that this conference is hosted by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Heritage and the Fangshan District Committee and Government, and organized by the Beijing Institute of Archaeology, the Beijing Fangshan Liulihe Site Management Office, and the Yan Culture Archaeological Research Center. (New Society)

Edit:momo Responsible editor:Chen zhaozhao

Source:

Special statement: if the pictures and texts reproduced or quoted on this site infringe your legitimate rights and interests, please contact this site, and this site will correct and delete them in time. For copyright issues and website cooperation, please contact through outlook new era email:lwxsd@liaowanghn.com

Recommended Reading Change it

Links