Pottery pieces unearthed from a tomb of Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 24) in Huaxi Village, Jiangning District, Nanjing City (Photo provided to Xinhua Daily)

The project to trace the origins of regional civilization has made marked achievements in Jiangsu Province since its inception in July 2022, according to a progress update meeting held in Nanjing on February 26.

Artifacts unearthed at the Tangbei Site, Suzhou City

Surveying in the lower reaches of Huaihe River identified two sites with an area of more than a million square meters - Chengtou Village and Daxiang Village in Huai’an City, representing rare large-scale prehistoric settlements discovered in the province.

Artifacts unearthed at the Sidun Site in Changzhou City

In addition, the discovery of Sidun Site in Changzhou City and building remains belonging to the Liangzhu culture reflects the prehistoric social development in the Taihu Lake area, providing a new perspective to explore the evolution of civilization in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

The survey of cultural relics in the western Taihu Lake area has led to the discovery of nine Neolithic sites. Notably, artifacts dating back about 7,800 years were unearthed at the Baojia site in Liyang City, the earliest Neolithic site found in the Taihu Lake vicinity.

Porcelain unearthed in Dafeng District, Yancheng City

Archaeological research into the salt industry has also made significant progress. More than 90 salt industry ruins have been discovered in Yancheng and Lianyungang. Among these findings is a relatively complete salt production hub from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), offering valuable materials for the study of the salt production processes in the region.