The Baojia site in the city of Liyang, east China's Jiangsu province, has been confirmed to date back 7,500 to 8,100 years, making it the earliest known prehistoric site discovered so far in the area surrounding Taihu Lake, archaeologists announced at a conference held on Sunday.

The site covers an existing area of around 20,000 to 30,000 square meters. Since 2023, a collaborative archaeological team from the Jiangsu provincial institute of cultural relics and archaeology and the Nanjing Museum has been conducting excavations at the site with approval from the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

At the site, archaeologists have identified an ancient east-west river channel. Hu Yingfang, the lead archaeologist, said they had also made a significant discovery beneath this channel -- an earlier river course containing deposits measuring 2.5 meters deep. These deposits are rich in organic remains and artifacts from ancient human activities.

The team's findings are exceptionally diverse and well-preserved due to the water-saturated environment at the site. They consist of various types of pottery, wooden artifacts, plant remains, animal remains including bones of mammals, and some woven objects, such as ropes made from hemp or grass.

"The waterlogged conditions preserved a vast amount of organic material, which contains crucial environmental and cultural information which is helpful for reconstructing the lives of ancient inhabitants," said Hu.

Radiocarbon dating of plant seeds from different layers at the site has indicated that the side dates back to 7,500 to 8,100 years ago, according to Hu.

Additionally, over 200 ash pits were uncovered on the site's eastern terrace. Among these, one pit contained a complete dog skeleton.

Following field investigations and discussions, nearly 10 experts from institutions including the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Nanjing University, Zhejiang University and Renmin University of China concluded that the Baojia site is the earliest prehistoric site found to date around Taihu Lake.

They also recognized that this site possesses distinct cultural characteristics. The discovery fills a critical gap in the Neolithic cultural timeline in this area and provides key evidence for tracing the origins of the Yangtze River civilization.