3500-Year-Old Pedestrian Sidewalks and Water Channels Discovered in Luoyang

3500-Year-Old Pedestrian Sidewalks and Water Channels Discovered in Luoyang

洛阳发现3500年前人行通道和排水沟：偃师商城首次发现城门门址

New archaeological discoveries at the capital site of the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC) in Yanshi district of Luoyang city, Henan province, show that the remains of a gate with two underground water channels have been discovered, believed to be parts of the capital's small city (the capital contains three areas of palace city, small city and large city), providing new evidence for exploring its road system, river distribution, urban layout and function division, said a source from the archaeological team on December 14.

12月14日，记者从偃师商城考古队获悉，在河南偃师商城小城发现一处商代城门遗址，城门下并铺有暗渠，为研究偃师商城的道路系统、水系分布、城市布局、功能属性提供了新的史实论证。

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Apart from the two underground water channels, the remains also include a gate, identified and confirmed as a gate (east gate) of the capital's small city for the first time. The gate has only one gateway about 3.2 meters in width, with rammed-earth grooves and rows of holes for pillars distributed in the south and north of the gateway. 8 holes are inside the grooves in the south while 5 in the north.

此次的发现系偃师商城小城遗址第一个能够确认的门址，为小城东门。该城门为单门道，门道宽度约3.2米，门道南北两侧分布着夯土柱槽和成排的柱洞，南侧柱槽内有柱洞8个，北侧柱槽内残存5个柱洞。

Holes on both sides of the gateway. [Photo/Henan Daily]

"Stones have been found in each hole on both sides of the gateway, on which the pillars used as the main structure of the whole gateway stand," said Chen Guoliang, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who heads the archaeological team.

中国社科院考古研究所副研究员、偃师商城考古队领队陈国梁说：“门道两侧密集排列的柱洞里都垫有石块作为支撑，再立上柱子撑起门道。”

Apart from the gate, two underground water channels were also discovered about 1.8 meters in width and 80 centimeters in height. Slabstones are laid on the channel for the convenience of pedestrians crossing from east to west. As early as 3,500 years ago in the early Shang Dynasty, a three-dimensional transportation system with pedestrian sidewalks and water channels had been formed.  

在该小城城门下方还发现铺设有暗渠，暗渠水道宽约1.8米、高约80厘米。渠上方搭有石板，方便行人东西向穿行。以此可见，早在3500年前的商代早期，就已经形成了人行通道和排水沟渠并行的立体交通系统。

The capital contains three areas of palace city, small city and large city. [Photo provided to Henan Daily]

"Based on the gate location and the river distribution, it can be further identified the site's road system, urban layout and function division, thus exploring whether the site was a capital city in ancient time," said Chen Guoliang.

“通过门址的位置，再结合水系分布，我们可以进一步确定城市道路分布情况和城市功能分区，以此推断偃师商城早期是否具有都邑特征。”陈国梁说。

The two east-west water channels have been basically unearthed during the latest archaeological excavation. According to Chen Guoliang, with a combination of ground and underground water channels and the connection between the internal and external river systems, the earliest and most complete urban river system of the Shang Dynasty has been discovered at the site, which not only created a pool-distributed landscape covering about 2,600 square meters, but also protected the city with rivers and from waterlogging.

此外，最新的考古发掘已将偃师商城小城东西向贯通的两条水道基本揭露出来。陈国梁介绍，偃师商城拥有迄今发现商代最早最完备的城市水系，城市明暗水渠结合，内外水系贯通，不仅营造了一处约2600平方米的池苑景观，还承担着以水护城，排水防涝的功能。

Discovered in 1983, the capital city site of the Shang Dynasty in Yanshi district of Luoyang city covers an area of about 2 square kilometers. Around the past 40 years, three city ruins (palace city, small city and large city) were discovered at the site. The discovery at this time has made the outline of the site clearer, which is bound to further understand its defense system, road and river distribution and urban function division, thus providing strong support for the in-depth study of the site and new materials for the construction of the site-based park.

位于河南洛阳的偃师商城遗址发现于1983年，总面积约2平方公里。经过近40年的发掘，陆续发现有宫城、小城、大城三重城垣。此次的发现对以水系和道路所勾勒的城市骨架有了更为清晰的认识，必将推进对偃师商城防御体系、道路与水系和功能区划为基础的偃师商城小城布局和年代的认识，为偃师商城性质的深入研究提供有力支撑，为遗址公园的建设提供新的素材。（中文来源/河南日报客户端 记者/郭歌 翻译/赵汉青 播音/王家琦 视频/王君艺 审校/焦丹）