4000-year-old palace discovered in ancient Chinese walled city

Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of a 4,000-year-old palace in an ancient Chinese walled city.

The remarkable discovery was made by experts at the archaeological site of Xinmi in the Henan Province of central China, according to state-run news agency Xinhua, and comes after another ancient Chinese city was found perfectly preserved at the bottom of a lake.

The structure was found at Xinmi – a known ancient walled city that is believed the have been constructed during the Xia dynasty, approximately between 2070-1600 B.C. Xia is referenced in legends and is arguably the first Chinese dynasty in history.

The city of Xinmi was uncovered several years ago and is located on the eastern bank of the Zhenshui River, covering an area of around 17 hectares.

Inside the ancient settlement, experts have now uncovered the remains of a 4,000-year-old palace, consisting of foundations and other features that hint towards what the palace may have looked like.

It is believed the structure was made using ancient rammed-earth construction techniques that use raw compressed materials such as lime, chalk or earth.

The palace is 200 feet long, 100 feet wide and covers more than 19,000 square feet. Archaeologists also found a series of holes that are evenly distributed, leading experts to theorise what they may have been for.

The head of the excavation team, Li Bo, explained: “From the holes, we believe that the foundation belonged to a house complex with terraces in the south and north, cloisters in the east and west, and a yard at the centre.”

Researchers are hopeful the discovery could help reveal more information about the origins and construction of palaces in the Xia dynasty.

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