Cultural relics from Western Zhou Dynasty found in NW China's Shaanxi

This undated file photo shows a bronze knife dating back to the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-771 BC), found at the Jiangliu Site in Jingyang County, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology/Handout via Xinhua)

XI'AN, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists have made new discoveries dating back to the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-771 BC) at the Jiangliu Site in Jingyang County, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, according to the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology on Tuesday.

The Jiangliu Site, a large settlement moat site from the late Yangshao culture period, is located northeast of Jiangliu Village. The excavations, carried out in 2022 in the western part of the site, unearthed multiple ash pits and tombs from the Western Zhou Dynasty.

In ten ash pits, archaeologists discovered pottery wares like tripod jars, pots and basins. The 13 excavated tombs, mostly simple single-wooden-coffin burials, typically contained one tripod and one jar as funerary objects, with some also yielding small bronze items, including knives and dagger-axes.

These discoveries fill a gap in archaeological materials from this period along the lower reaches of the Jinghe River in Shaanxi and provide crucial evidence for understanding people's activities in this area during the Western Zhou Dynasty, the academy said.

This undated file photo shows a pottery jar dating back to the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-771 BC), found at the Jiangliu Site in Jingyang County, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology/Handout via Xinhua)

This undated file photo shows a pottery tripod jar dating back to the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-771 BC), found at the Jiangliu Site in Jingyang County, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology/Handout via Xinhua)