4,000-Year-Old Palace Unearthed in Ancient Chinese Walled City Xinmi

An ancient palace was unearthed within a walled city in China. It was believed that the rare find was constructed thousands of years ago.

Hidden Palace Within Ancient Chinese Walled City

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of what they believe was a 4,000-year-old palace complex in an ancient Chinese walled city at the important archaeological site of Xinmi, Henan Province in central China. Based on tales, the ancient walled city of Xinmi is believed to have been constructed during the Xia era (c. 2070-1600 B.C.), an early Chinese dynasty, many claimed to be a legend.

A sequence of uniformly spaced holes that the archaeologists discovered provided insight into the previous appearance of the old structure.

"From the holes, we believe that the foundation belonged to a house complex with terraces in the south and north, cloisters in the east and west, and a yard at the center," Li Bo, head of the excavation team, said.

The ancient city's remnants were found by archaeologists a few years ago on the Zhenshui River's eastern bank. It has a foundation structure made of rammed earth and occupies an area of around 17 hectares that is rectangular. Using compacted raw materials such as earth, chalk, or lime is an ancient approach.

The remnants span an area of more than 19,000 square feet, measuring around 200 feet long by 100 feet broad. The Longshan culture is connected to the well-preserved settlement. This ancient civilization formerly lived in the area, now the province of Henan in China, as well as other nearby areas.

The findings may provide fresh insight into the Xia dynasty's palace building's beginnings and evolution.

What Is The Xia Dynasty?

The Xia Dynasty (c. 2070-1600 BCE) was the first government to establish dynastic succession and the first to arise in ancient China. As a result, the Xia was China's first dynasty.

Excavations conducted in the 20th century revealed locations that matched the descriptions given by older historians, even though these sites were long thought to be fictional creations of later Chinese historians.

The Xia Dynasty was deposed by the more historically proven Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BCE), which was deposed by the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE).

The theory that the Xia Dynasty is a mythological creation holds that the Zhou (and later) dynasties constructed the Xia as a proto-dynasty as a prehistoric model for this, intending to demonstrate that the previous dynasties lost their right to govern due to immoral conduct. Even though many academics today still believe that the Xia Dynasty never existed, they cannot explain why the actual evidence that has been found contradicts their theory. The fact that none of the sites found so far identify as part of the Xia Dynasty and may just as readily be regarded as early Shang Dynasty architecture puts those who think the Xia Dynasty was a reality at an equal disadvantage.

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