Major archaeological discovery: Wenxi Site in Ningbo recognized

An aerial view of Wenxi Site in Zhenhai district, Ningbo. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

The 2024 Zhejiang archaeology important discoveries reporting meeting took place in Hangzhou from Feb 28 to March 1. During the event, 10 archaeological excavation projects were selected as major archaeological discoveries of 2024, including the Wenxi Site in Zhenhai district, Ningbo.

The Wenxi Site, located in Jiulonghu town, Zhenhai district, spans approximately 7,000 square meters. Between October 2022 and January 2024, the Ningbo Cultural Heritage Management Research Institute conducted a two-phase excavation covering 4,400 sq m. The site yielded over 250 ancient remains, including houses, tombs, wells, pits, and fire pits, as well as more than 800 artifacts such as pottery, porcelain, stone, jade, bone, copper, and wood specimens.

According to Lei Shao, the project leader, the site contains 24 stratigraphic layers representing four major historical periods: prehistoric, late Shang (c.16th century-11th century BC) to early Western Zhou (c.11th century-771 BC), late Western Zhou to Warring States (475-221 BC), and Han (206 BC-220) to Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties. The prehistoric and Shang-Zhou periods are the primary components of the site.

The Wenxi Site's cultural deposits are crucial for studying the ancient cultural development and reconstructing the social landscape of the Ningbo-Shaoxing coastal plain area. The site provides new material for enriching the cultural sequence of the late Neolithic period and helps explore the relationship between human activities and marine environmental changes in Zhejiang's coastal areas.

These discoveries will be shown by the Zhejiang Provincial Museum Gushan Pavilion at an exhibition in March, featuring artifacts from 26 selected projects, including the Wenxi Site.