HOHHOT, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- A large city site dating back more than 4,000 years was discovered in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, local authorities said Wednesday.
The regional institute of cultural relics and archaeology said the city site is located by a riverside in Qingshuihe County.
Covering 1.38 million square meters, the city was composed of the inner city and the outer city. It had a relatively complete defense system, with walled outer workings, city gates and watchtowers.
House sites, cellars and tombs in the city were found well-preserved.
So far, archaeologists have conducted an excavation of the walled outer workings and roughly restored the structure.
"The structure is the earliest known barbican site in China, pushing forward its appearance for 2,000 years in the history," said Cao Jian'en, director of the institute.
The half-moon defense system composed of a barbican, trenches and city gates represents the highest-ranking and most complete defense system in this period, Cao said.
The discovery is of great significance for the study of culture along the Yellow River Basin.
