Ruins offer glimpse into defense system of prehistoric city in Shanxi

An archaeological discovery in North China's Shanxi province was included in China's top 10 archaeological discoveries of 2022, according to a list released on China Central Television on Dec 24.

The Stone City Defense System from about 4,000 years ago at the Bicun site in Xingxian county, Lyuliang city was excavated by the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology and listed as a major project of the Archaeological China program by the National Cultural Heritage Administration this September.

The Bicun site at the confluence of the Yufen River and the Yellow River covers an area of about 750,000 square meters and dates back to the late Longshan period 4,200 to 3,800 years ago.

From 2015 to 2018, the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology conducted an overall excavation of the stone masonry complex at the Xiaoyuliang site in the core area of the Bicun site. From 2020 to 2022, the institute mainly excavated the outer city gates at the stone city settlement with double walls inside and outside.

The excavated East City Gate site is a set of relatively-well-preserved gate systems which had the sturdiest structure found in prehistoric China, and it is an important relic for understanding the layout of prehistoric and pre-Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) city gates in China.

In addition, the Bicun site's prominent strategic location, which controls both banks of the Yellow River and the Yufen River, and the stone city site's layout featuring multiple defense systems, strongly indicate that it was a gateway city on the banks of the Yellow River during the Longshan period.