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Tombs
of Shang Dynasty Excavated in Anyang
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????A nine-meter wide
and 280-meter long road, a house of 16 square meters, 500 tombs
and a large amount of ash pits have been excavated in a large living
area of the Shang Dynasty (Yin)(BC16c.-BC11c.) in Anyang City, central
China's Henan Province.
????It is the first time that the road of the
Shang Dynasty on such a scale has been found in China. The excavation
has offered precious data to the study of urban transport in the
Shang Dynasty.
????The tombs, located in the Guojiawan New Village,
cover an area of 6.66 hectares. The road in the eastern part of
the tombs has two parts. The central part of the road is a lane
for chariots and horses, is wide enough to hold two carriages side
by side. The two sides of the road are 1.8-meter-wide sidewalks.
????Four tracks of wheels are clearly visible
on the road surface. Experts gather that at that time carriages
already ran in two ways, because the distance between each pair
of wheel tracks is about 1.9 meters.
????The excavation identified the road as one
of the Shang Dynasty, on the basis of the stratigraphic analysis,
ruins of cultural relics and the run of the road.
(Xinhua 12/19/2000)
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