Two large-scale palatial structures discovered in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Chinese archaeologists have discovered two large-scale palatial structures in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Credit: CCTV

The structures were found in the millennium-old ruins of the capital city of the Liao Dynasty (916-1125) by archaeologists with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and regional institute of cultural relics and archaeology of Inner Mongolia.

The first structure is a pavilion-style building built on a well-preserved two-metre-tall rammed earth platform with a side length of 51 metres. Covering about 1,100 square metres, the building is the largest palatial structure found in the ancient Liao capital to date.

During the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), the building was destroyed and a smaller one was later built on its foundation.

The other structure is a rectangular courtyard surrounded by cloisters on all four sides. With its gate opened in the middle of the east wall and the main hall located in the middle of the western end, the courtyard bore typical characteristics of Liao Dynasty constructions.

Dong Xinlin, an archaeologist with the CASS, said that the discovery of the two large structures provides important information for the study of the layout of the capital of the Liao Dynasty.

During the excavation, archaeologists also unearthed a large number of artefacts from the Liao and Jin dynasties, including precious stone Buddha statues, architectural components, iron knives and porcelain.

Source: Xinhua News Agency [October 12, 2019]