China's Top 10 Archaeological New Discoveries Reveals: Pingliangtai Ancient City Ruins Included
2019年度“全国十大考古新发现”揭晓 淮阳平粮台城址入选
Widely-known as the “Academy Award” in the field of archaeology, China’s “Top 10 New Archaeological Discoveries” of 2019 were unveiled in Beijing on the afternoon of May 5, among which the Pingliangtai Ancient City Ruins was included. So far, 46 archaeological projects in Henan have been listed on the nation’s annual list of the “Top 10 New Archaeological Discoveries”, ranking the first place in China and being far ahead of other provinces.
素有中国考古界“奥斯卡奖”之称的“全国十大考古新发现”于5月5日下午在北京揭晓。河南淮阳平粮台古城遗址入选，至此，我省入选“全国十大考古新发现”的考古项目达46项，位居全国首位，并遥遥领先于其他省份。
The layout of the Pingliangtai Ancient City Ruins. [Photo provided to Henan Daily]
Located in Huaiyang district of Zhoukou city, the Pingliangtai Ancient City Ruins was discovered in the 1980s. The over 10-year archaeological excavations not only revealed this prehistoric city site tracing back into the the Neolithic Age, but also triggered a hot debate on city origin and early civilization among the archaeologists.
位于周口淮阳区的平粮台古城遗址发现于上世纪80年代，长达10年的考古发掘揭示了这座属于新石器时代的早期城址，并由此激发了中国考古学界关于城市起源与早期文明等问题的讨论。
The "central axis" (red line), row houses (upper right) and drainage system (yellow line). [Photo provided to Henan Daily]
Since 2014, the new round of archaeological excavations, jointly conducted by Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and School of archaeology and Museology of Peking University, achieved academic breakthroughs: The well-planned and square-shaped city site was further confirmed, and the road in the middle of the city was identified as the earliest “central axis” in China, with the row houses of “High Bench Style” being built around it. Besides, China’s earliest and most complete urban drainage system was also discovered.
2014年以来，在省文物考古研究院、北京大学考古文博学院在该遗址联合开展的最新一轮考古发掘中取得了突破性学术成果：进一步确认了城址严整规划的方正格局，尤其是位于城址中轴线上的道路是目前国内经考古发掘确认的最早的城市“中轴线”，城内的高台式排房建筑也以“中轴线”为依据进行规划设计。发现了完整的早期城市排水系统，是国内首见。
Row house ruins discovered at the Pingliangtai site. [Photo provided to Henan Daily]
On the road attributed to the Longshan Culture, archaeologists found the nation’s earliest wheel ruts, which is of great significance for discovering the origin of the vehicle (probably the two-wheeled vehicle) to the Longshan Culture Period, and demonstrating the cultural exchanges between the East and the West at that time. Meanwhile, archaeological excavations at the Pingliangtai Ancient City Ruins also reveal the extensive cross-regional cultural exchanges and integration in the period of Longshan Culture, which is helpful to a further understanding on the features of the origin of the Central Plains civilization and meaningful to the study on the origin of the whole national civilization.
龙山道路发现的我国最早的车辙，将车（可能是双轮车）的起源提早到龙山时代，并与大时代背景下的东西文化交流相吻合，意义重大。这些特点是中国古代城市规划思想的源头，在城市发展史上具有里程碑式的突出价值。同时也揭示出了龙山时代大背景下广泛的跨区域文化交流与融合的现象，有助于深入认识中原地区文明起源的特征，对认识国家文明的起源具有重大意义。
China’s earliest and most complete urban drainage system. [Photo provided to Henan Daily]
Liu Haiwang, director of Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, said that the large-scale archaeological excavations at the Pingliangtai Ancient City Ruins and its surrounding areas in recent years provided new archaeological data and perspective to further understand the later period of Longshan Culture, including the social form and development level at the key stage of the early times.
河南省文物考古研究院院长刘海旺说，淮阳平粮台遗址近年的较大规模考古勘探和发掘，以及以平粮台遗址为中心的区域考古探查和发掘，为更加深入认识龙山文化晚期，也就是早期国家形成的关键阶段的社会形态、发展水平等提供了全新的考古资料和新的视角。
Jade pieces during the period of Longshan Culture. [Photo provided to Henan Daily]
Liu Guoxiang, a famous archaeologist and researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, proposed that one of the most notable findings at the Pingliangtai Ancient City Ruins was the north-south “central axis”, which is new evidence to the layout of the ancient cities in China.
著名考古学家、中国社会科学院考古研究所研究员刘国祥认为，淮阳平粮台古城遗址最重要的一项成果便是发现并确认了南北向“中轴线”布局，为追溯中国古代城市形制布局的内涵与特征找到了新的坐标。（记者温小娟 编译赵汉青 审校焦丹）
The list of China’s Top 10 Archaeological New Discoveries of 2019:
2019年度“全国十大考古新发现”名单：
Jiegedong Paleolithic cave site in Nanzheng, Shaanxi province, 100,000 to 15,000 years ago
陕西南郑疥疙洞旧石器时代洞穴遗址
Xiaonanshan site in Raohe county, Heilongjiang province, 17,000 years ago to Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220)
黑龙江饶河小南山遗址
Huangchengtai site of Shimao in Shenmu, Shaanxi province, more than 4,000 years old
陕西神木石峁遗址皇城台
Pingliangtai site in Huaiyang, Henan province, over 4,000 years old
河南淮阳平粮台城址
Xiwubi site, Jiangxian county, Shanxi province, main discoveries from 1600-1200 BC
山西绛县西吴壁遗址
Hanxia jade quarry site, Dunhuang, Gansu province, about 4,000 years ago to Han Dynasty
甘肃敦煌旱峡玉矿遗址
Zaoshulin nobles’ tomb site, Suizhou, Hubei province, the Spring and Autumn Period (771-476 BC)
湖北随州枣树林春秋曾国贵族墓地
Shichengzi site, Qitai county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Han Dynasty
新疆奇台石城子遗址
Quangou tomb site, Ulan county, Qinghai province, Tubo period (Seventh-Ninth century)
青海乌兰泉沟吐蕃时期壁画墓
Nanhai One, the salvaged underwater shipwreck, Tang Dynasty (618-907)
广东“南海I号”南宋沉船水下考古发掘项目
Related report: