Chinese archaeologists have found five large ancient bridges in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province after 10 months of excavation.
Archaeologists have discovered ruins of five large-scale ancient bridges of Weihe River in the northern suburbs of Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, Jan 15, 2015. [Photo/Chinanews.com]
The archaeological excavations started in February and lasted till the end of 2014 on the ruins of Weiqiao, a group of bridges built during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24). According to Liu Rui, excavation team head and research associate with the institute of archaeology of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Weiqiao was an important transport hub that linked the dynasty capital of Chang'an (now Xi'an city) with its outside regions.
View shows an eaves tile unearthed at the ruins of No. 1 bridge of Chucheng Gate in the northern suburbs of Xi'an
The excavations were jointly carried by the archaeologists from the institute of archaeology of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Shaanxi provincial institute of archaeology and Xi'an institute of cultural relics and archaeology.
View of a stone rammer unearthed at the ruins of No. 1 bridge of Chucheng Gate
Wang Zhiyou, research associate with Shaanxi provincial institute of archaeology, said according to the unearthed wooden bridge piles, experts speculate that the bridges would be more than 880 meters in length and more than 15.4 meters in width.
the ruins of No. 5 bridge of Chucheng Gate
the north end of the ruins of No. 1 bridge of Chucheng Gate
"The discovery of the bridges is of great value for the protection of the ruins of ancient Chang'an city and the study of the transportation history of the Qin (221 BC-207 BC)," Liu said.
Excavations on the ruins are ongoing.
