(Photo provided to Xinhua Daily)

Nanjing is widely believed to have an urban history of 2,500 years, but excavations at the Changgan Ancient Town have extended this history by more than 600 years, according to an academic meeting jointly organized by the Society for Chinese Archaeology and the Nanjing Archaeological Research Institute on December 19.

Changgan Ancient Town is located outside the Zhonghua Gate, a defensive complex on the city wall in Nanjing’s Qinhuai District, and west of the ruins of the Great Bao’en Temple.

The complex includes a central terrace, surrounding trenches, and other remains indicative of the city’s construction. It dates back to the late period of the Shang Dynasty (about 1600 BC - 1046 BC). The complex seemed to have been built as a fortress, strategically utilizing natural barriers like the Yangtze River and the Qinhuai River.

Since 2017, the archaeological excavations have unearthed more than 10,000 specimens of various types. Some artifacts reveal the cultural exchanges across the Yangtze River’s south and north.

At the meeting, experts agreed that Changgan Ancient Town represented a milestone in exploring Nanjing’s history, and the findings will also contribute to the construction of the Yangtze River National Cultural Park.