CMG releases top 10 Chinese and international archaeology news in 2023

China Media Group (CMG) on Sunday released its top 10 news for 2023 in the field of archaeology, featuring significant discoveries, scientific research and cooperation in protecting cultural relics in China and abroad.

China

1 President Xi sends congratulatory letter to Liangzhu Forum

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the first Liangzhu Forum on December 3.

The ruins of Liangzhu Ancient City are a demonstration of the 5,000-year history of the Chinese civilization, and a treasure of world civilizations, Xi said.

The Chinese civilization has been open and inclusive, continuously enriching itself, drawing on the essence of other civilizations, and greatly enriching the garden of world civilizations, he added.

2 China's earliest noble graveyard from Shang Dynasty revealed in Zhengzhou

Chinese archaeologists have discovered the country's earliest known noble tomb complex in the ruins of a city from the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 B.C.) in today's Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province.

The discovery, which follows a series of excavation work conducted from 2021 to 2023, was made public at an annual meeting on archaeological work achievements in Henan Province in December.

3 New cultural relic samples of Lingnan civilization unearthed in Yanshanzhai site

At the Yanshanzhai site, in today's Yingde, south China's Guangdong Province, nearly 2,000 pieces of cultural relic samples of different kinds were unearthed, including pottery, stone-made artifacts, jade wares, bronze wares, human bones and some wooden objects.

The Yanshanzhai site is known as the largest ancient settlement in the Lingnan region dating back from the Neolithic period to the Xia and Shang dynasties.

4 New batch of relics retrieved from ancient shipwrecks in South China Sea

At a depth of approximately 1,500 meters under the South China Sea, a new batch of relics related to two ancient shipwrecks from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) were found, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) unveiled the cultural relics during a press conference on October 19.

The relics, which include porcelain, pottery and timber, provide concrete evidence that Chinese ancestors explored, utilized, and traded in the South China Sea, said the administration at the press conference.

5 Paleolithic stone tools found in China shed light on evolution in northeast Asia

Nearly 20,000 lithic, or stone, tools and animal fossils have been discovered from three areas at the Dadong site in Helong, northeast China's Jilin Province, said officials from the National Cultural Heritage Administration at a press conference in Beijing on September 28.

Dating back to roughly 50,000 to 15,000 years ago during the late Paleolithic period, "it is the largest open-air site of the late Paleolithic period with the clearest cultural sequence in Northeast China," said Xu Ting, a researcher at Liaoning University who is responsible for the excavation at the Dadong site.

6 Millennia-old settlement site found in Shaanxi

A settlement site dating back to about 3,200 years ago was excavated in May in Qingjian County, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

The new discoveries reflect the close economic and cultural exchanges between the territory of the Shang Dynasty and the region of today's northern Shaanxi as well as the strong influence of the Shang civilization on its surrounding areas.

7 First prehistoric human cave discovered in the hinterland of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau

Over 10,000 relics were unearthed at the Melong Tagphug cave site, in today's Ngari Prefecture, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, in October.

The Melong Tagphug cave site, composed of two caves with 1,000 square meters and 250 square meters in size, respectively, is about 4,600 meters above sea level. It is the first prehistoric cave site confirmed on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

8 Historical ruins in Gansu revealed to be Qin Dynasty sacrificial site

The Sijiaoping Ruins in today's Lixian County, northwest China's Guansu Province, was found in November to have been a large-scale architectural complex used for sacrificial ceremonies dating back to the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.-206 B.C.).

While the function of the Sijiaoping Ruins was newly identified, their importance had already been noticed by scholars when the site was first discovered in 2019.

The Sijiaoping architectural complex was built during the Qin Dynasty. The Sijiaoping site is the only "systematic" and complete building complex from the time period discovered to date. It demonstrates the burial and ritual traditions of the Qin Dynasty.

9 China's earliest known water-harnessing facilities found in Hubei

A 5,100-year-old dam, complete with a reservoir and spillway, has been identified as China's earliest known water conservancy project, according to a meeting of archaeologists on December 4.

The Xiongjialing Dam is part of the Qujialing relics site in today's Jingmen, central China's Hubei Province.

The discovery of the dam is among the latest finds to shed light on the cradle of civilization on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, China's longest waterway.

10 Ruins of 3,000-year-old building complex found in Zhejiang

Ruins of a magnificent building complex believed to have been constructed in the late Shang Dynasty (1600 B.C.-1046 B.C.) have been unearthed in east China's Zhejiang Province, including a 3,400-square-meter ritual site, pottery workshops and relics.

Located at the Pishan site, Wuxing District of Huzhou City, the settlement cluster, where the buildings were discovered, was moated by a ring trench. It dates back to about 3,000 years ago. The Pishan site is currently Zhejiang's biggest archaeological site featuring remnants of ancient China's Xia (2070 B.C.-1600 B.C.) and Shang dynasties.

This new discovery helps provide abundant evidence of the influence of the Shang culture on regions south of the Yangtze River.

International

1 Zambia finding shows humans have built with wood for 476,000 years

Along the banks of the Kalambo River in Zambia, near Africa's second-highest waterfall, archaeologists have excavated two logs of the large-fruited bushwillow tree that were notched, shaped and joined nearly 476,000 years ago, Reuters reported in September.

These artifacts, researchers said on September 20, represent the oldest-known example of humans – in this case a species that preceded our own – building wooden structures, a milestone in technological achievement that indicates that our forerunners displayed more ingenuity than previously thought.

2 Pit finding in Germany reveals how Neanderthals hunted huge elephants

Bones of 70 animals dating back 125,000 years ago – each about three times the size of today's Asian elephants – were discovered near Halle, Germany in February.

Neanderthals may have lived in larger groups than previously believed, hunting massive elephants that were up to three times bigger than those of today, according to a new study.

The researchers reached their conclusions, published in the journal Science Advances on February 1, based on examinations of the 125,000-year-old skeletal remains of straight-tusked elephants found near Halle in central Germany.

3 New Mexico footprints are oldest sign of humans in Americas, research shows

New research confirms that fossil human footprints in New Mexico are probably the oldest direct evidence of human presence in the Americas, a finding that upends what many archaeologists thought they knew.

The footprints were discovered at the edge of an ancient lakebed in White Sands national park and date back to between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago, according to research published on October 5 in the journal Science.

The estimated age of the footprints was first reported in Science in 2021, but some researchers raised concerns about the dates. The new study presents two additional lines of evidence for the older date range.

4 Europe's oldest lakeside village uncovered in Albania

Beneath the turquoise waters of Lake Ohrid, the "Pearl of the Balkans," scientists have uncovered what may be one of Europe's earliest sedentary communities, and are trying to solve the mystery of why it sheltered behind a fortress of defensive spikes, AFP reported in August.

A stretch of the Albanian shore of the lake once hosted a settlement of stilt houses some 8,000 years ago, archaeologists believe, making it the oldest lakeside village in Europe discovered to date.

Radiocarbon dating from the site puts it at between 6000 B.C and 5800 B.C.

5 4,500-year-old Sumerian Palace discovered in Iraq

British and Iraqi archaeologists revealed in February that they found the Lord Palace of the Kings of the ancient Sumerian city Girsu, now located in Tello, southern Iraq, during fieldwork that they jointly conducted in 2022.

More than 200 cuneiform tablets and temple ruins were discovered, containing administrative records of the ancient city.

6 Egypt confirms hidden corridor discovered in Great Pyramid of Giza

A nine-meter-long hidden corridor has been discovered close to the main entrance of the 4,500-year-old Great Pyramid of Giza, and this could lead to further findings, Egyptian antiquities officials said on March 2.

An article published in the journal Nature in March said the discovery could contribute to knowledge about the construction of the pyramid and the purpose of a gabled limestone structure that sits in front of the corridor.

7 3,000-year-old trading hub discovered in Cyprus

New discoveries including gold ornaments and fine pottery at an ancient port city in Cyprus, dating back more than 3,000 years ago, indicate that the settlement was one of the Mediterranean's most important trading posts in the late Bronze Age, an archeologist said on July 11.

Professor Peter M. Fischer from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, said the city now known as Hala Sultan Tekke because of its proximity to a famous mosque flourished in 1,630-1,150 B.C. because of its trade in the "most sought-after product at that time".

8 China-Honduras archaeology cooperation embraces new progress in Copan site

After the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Honduras on March 26, Chinese archaeologists arrived at the Copan site of the Mayan civilization, for archaeological research in May.

Archaeologists from the two countries confirmed the development and evolution process of noble courtyards from the Mayan civilization.

9 Climate change may play a role in the collapse of ancient Mayan civilization

The Yucatan Peninsula in today's southeast Mexico was the central location of the ancient Mayan civilization.

Dr Medina-Elizalde and his team at the University of Massachusetts have reconstructed the rainfall record of the Yucatan Peninsula over the past 1,500 years, reported thatsmaths.com.

They found that, during the period which marked the decline of the Maya civilization, the Yucatan Peninsula experienced a succession of drought events, with a 40-percent reduction in annual rainfall.

Scientists suggest that climate change could be a reason for population reduction and city collapses during the period, further contributing to the decline of the Mayan civilization.

10 Alliance for Cultural Heritage in Asia launched in Xi'an

The Alliance for Cultural Heritage in Asia, an organization initiated by China, was officially established at a general assembly on April 25.

The assembly, held in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, also issued a declaration that aims to provide solutions for cultural heritage protection from the perspective of Asian countries.

(With input from agencies)