A Majiayao pottery piece newly returned by Italy Photo: Courtesy of the National Cultural Heritage Administration

Six significant archaeological sites in China were named the top new discoveries of 2024,MKsport it was announced Wednesday at an annual forum hosted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The Mengchaktepa site in Uzbekistan, located along the ancient Silk Road, was listed among the new discoveries outside China.

The six listed sites span across China, including Northeast China's Jilin Province, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, and East China's Jiangxi Province. They represent different historical periods, yet all showcase the development of ancient craftsmanship and the characteristics of early settlements.

Zhang Yin, an archaeologist and a member of the Society for Shaanxi Provincial Archaeology, told the Global Times that these archaeological discoveries help us understand the lifestyle, social structure, and cultural development of ancient humans, and enhance our knowledge of human history.

"The study of material cultural remains left by ancient humans to reconstruct ancient societies holds significant spiritual value. It aids in the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage, and the promotion of cultural exchange and understanding," he noted.

According to the Xinhua News Agency, the Wuwangdun ancient tomb, one of the discoveries, is the largest, most prestigious and structurally complex high-ranking tomb from the Chu state, which dates to more than 2,200 years ago. It provides systematic archaeological data for the study of the burial system of the Chu state in the late Warring States Period (475BC-221BC) and the historical and cultural developments following the migration of the Chu state eastward.

Boasting finely made bronze wares, the Zhouyuan site in Baoji, Shaanxi Province, also made it onto the list. In addition to revealing ancient people's advanced bronze craftsmanship, the site has yielded over 200 oracle turtle shells and bones inscribed with writing that includes references to Qin Ren (the people of the Qin state).

According to CCTV News, the archaeological team at the Zhouyuan site in Baoji has further confirmed that the site contains three Western Zhou (1046BC-771BC) city walls - those of the palace city, "small city," and "large city" - demonstrating the site's importance as a capital city during the Western Zhou period.

The candidate list also includes a site related to porcelain culture, a porcelain-making archaeological cluster from the Yuan (1279-1368), Ming (1368-1644), and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province.

The Jingdezhen ceramic industry sites cluster provides invaluable first-hand data for studying over 600 years of the city's porcelain industry, settlement expansion, urban structure and management, social composition and beliefs, raw material exploitation, processing and transportation, changes in local handicraft division and form, as well as the relationship between the imperial and civilian kilns. It also sheds light on how market demand influenced Jingdezhen's products.

As for archaeological discoveries outside China, the Mengchaktepa site, explored by a joint Chinese-Uzbek archaeological team and located on the northern bank of the Syr Darya River in Uzbekistan, is an archaeological treasure trove that once served as a crucial geographical location along the Silk Road.

Liu Tao, an archaeologist of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and the Chinese executive leader of the China-Uzbekistan joint archaeological team, told the Global Times that the team has discovered seven tombs and two other buildings, along with a wealth of artifacts including silk fragments, leather products, bronze mirrors, round square-holed coins, and beads. 

"The silk fragments, which were in particularly good condition, clearly exhibit marks of weaving, marking the first discovery of silk at the site since 1986 and filling the recent 40-year gap in the discovery of silk in the Fergana Valley," Liu noted.

"The discoveries at the Mengchaktepa site provide a clear representation of the burial systems, customs, beliefs, and architectural forms in the Fergana Valley during the early medieval period, enriching our understanding of the cultural landscape and connotations of the region," he said.

At this site, the presence of silk, bronze mirrors of a similar style to those of China's Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220), round square-holed copper coins, and Zoroastrian-related relics are evidence of the basin's significant role in the ancient Silk Road and cultural exchanges.