New discoveries at Sanxingdui Ancient City in Sichuan Province indicate that the settlement might have exhibited urban planning dating back over 3,000 years.
The Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute told media that archaeologists have established the city’s fundamental layout based on the exploration of the city walls, though some of the sections have been damaged over time.
The ancient site, which covers 36,000 square kilometers, has a northwest-southeast layout, basically the same as that of the high-grade building foundations and jade workshop discovered since 2022. Archaeologists believe it is definitely not a coincidence.
Xu Danyang, deputy head of the Sanxingdui site, told media that the city was divided by a river. Its northern part served as the palace and workshop areas, and the southern part was used for sacrifices. The layout shows how ancient peoples adapted to the geographical environment, Xu said.
First discovered in 1929, the Sanxingdui site is believed to be the center of the ancient Bronze Age Shu Kingdom.
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