A village thought to be 8,200 years old has been unearthed by
archaeologists in north China.
Experts said the primitive village, which was discovered on Friday
in Chifeng of the Inner
Mongolia Autonomous Region, was the best preserved and largest
of the early settlements to have been excavated in the country,
reported Xinhua.
Eleven rectangular houses and 10 tombs have been explored.
According to the earth surface investigation, there are a total of
150 houses in the village. Divided into three areas, the houses are
arranged in an orderly pattern running northeast to southwest.
Liu Guoxiang, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social
Sciences, said such a magnificent and intact village indicates that
the history of Chinese civilization can be traced back even earlier
than 8,000 years.
This is the second time archaeologists have conducted excavations
on the Xinglonggou ruins in Inner Mongolia. Examinations to date
show houses with tombs inside, household utensils and some small
pure jade artifacts, the earliest ones ever discovered.
Liu said the differences between the houses give a clue to the
different status of the residents in the village. For example, the
master of House No. 22 would have been someone rich and
powerful.
No. 22 covers the largest area and has its own distinct
construction style, which includes six symmetrical columns and
provides an invaluable source of material for the study of ancient
construction methods.
(China
Daily October 29, 2002)