After a long-term excavation, Chinese archeologists have discovered net-shaped roads and chessboard-shaped residential quarters at Yangling Mausoleum of Emperor Jingdi of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.)
The discovery is of great importance to the study of ancient Chinese cities, especially the small cities during the Qin and Han dynasties, said Jiao Nanfeng, head of the archeological team.
Yangling is the joint tomb of Liu Qi, the fourth emperor of the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-24 A.D.), and the empress. The mausoleum covers 12 square kilometers, accounting for one-third of the area of the ancient city of Chang’an, capital of the Han Dynasty.
Archeologists found 11 east-west roads and 23 north-south roads with the width ranging from three to six meters at the mausoleum. Ruins of residential quarters were seen between the roads. Some hollow bricks were unearthed from a rectangular pit.
(People’s Daily 02/03/2001)
