The ancient bridges over the Jue River near the Han Chang’an City
Abstract
In 2006 through 2007, Xi’an Municipal Institute of Cultural Heritage Conservation and Archaeology excavated two ancient bridges crossing the old course of Jue River 400m to the west of the southwest corner of the Han Chang’an City. The ancient bridge no. 1 was better preserved, of which 160 bridge piles lining in five east-west rows were excavated; these bridge piles were high and straightly standing, and were almost on their original positions. The alignments and the charring degrees of the bridge piles reflected that this bridge had been built for twice. Ancient bridge no. 2, which was also crossing the same ancient river course, was about 90m to the west of no. 1. It was poorly preserved, only the root parts of the wooden bridge piles were found, in total 32 bridge piles in five rows were uncovered. This bridge located about 400m outside the southwest corner of the Han Chang’an City was just between the capital city and Jianzhang Palace of the Western Han Dynasty; to its southeast were the sites of the Altars of the Soil and Grains, the Mingtang (Hall of Enlightenment) and Biyong (circular moat surrounding the Mingtang) of the Western Han Dynasty and the Nine Temples of Wang Mang’s Xin Dynasty, to its south across the Jue River was the imperial Shanglin Park. The special location of this bridge and the large amounts of building materials of high-ranking architecture unearthed nearby it implied that this bridge would be an imperial court-used bridge on the way from the capital city to Shanglin Park across the Jue River. The discovery of these bridges is significantly meaningful for the researches on the capital planning, traffic and communication and the changes of the water environment nearby Chang’an City of the Han Dynasty.
© 2015 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- New archaeological discoveries
- Neolithic Shunshanji Site in Sihong County, Jiangsu
- The excavation of the Neolithic site at Hamin Mangha in Horqin Left Middle Banner, Inner Mongolia in 2011
- The Shimao Site in Shenmu County, Shaanxi
- The Aduun Chuluu Site and Cemetery of early Bronze Age in Wenquan (Arixang) County, Xinjiang
- The tomb of the Spring-and-Autumn Period at Jiwang Gu in Yishui County, Shandong
- The Buddhist sculpture hoard at Bei Wuzhuang in the Ye City Site, Hebei Province
- The excavation of the Hailong Tun site in Zunyi City, Guizhou in 2012
- Feature
- The Excavation of the tomb of Bai, Lord of the Zhongli State
- Reports
- The excavation of the Qihe Cave prehistoric remains in Zhangping City, Fujian
- The ceremonial mound of Longshan Culture at Yuhui Village in Bengbu City, Anhui
- The excavation at Liujiazhuang Locus North at Yinxu Site in Anyang City, Henan in 2010–2011
- The excavation of the pottery workshop site at Liujiazhuang Locus North of Yinxu in Anyang City, Henan
- The excavation of the Shigudun Site in Tongling County, Anhui
- A Western Zhou tomb at Shigushan in Baoji, Shaanxi
- The ancient bridges over the Jue River near the Han Chang’an City
- The archaeological exploration on the early settlements of nomadic cultures in Tibet
- The relationship between the Shang and the ethnic groups on the Northern Frontiers as reflected in the northern-style bronzes unearthed in Yinxu Site
- A discussion on the identity of the stone human figures unearthed at the Jinsha Site
- Study on the etched carnelian beads unearthed in China
- On the greenish-blue glazed pottery jug unearthed from the Eastern Han tombs at Liaowei in Hepu County, Guangxi
- Reexamination of the domestic chicken in ancient China
- Research on the white pottery, stamped hard pottery, and proto- porcelains unearthed at Erlitou
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- New archaeological discoveries
- Neolithic Shunshanji Site in Sihong County, Jiangsu
- The excavation of the Neolithic site at Hamin Mangha in Horqin Left Middle Banner, Inner Mongolia in 2011
- The Shimao Site in Shenmu County, Shaanxi
- The Aduun Chuluu Site and Cemetery of early Bronze Age in Wenquan (Arixang) County, Xinjiang
- The tomb of the Spring-and-Autumn Period at Jiwang Gu in Yishui County, Shandong
- The Buddhist sculpture hoard at Bei Wuzhuang in the Ye City Site, Hebei Province
- The excavation of the Hailong Tun site in Zunyi City, Guizhou in 2012
- Feature
- The Excavation of the tomb of Bai, Lord of the Zhongli State
- Reports
- The excavation of the Qihe Cave prehistoric remains in Zhangping City, Fujian
- The ceremonial mound of Longshan Culture at Yuhui Village in Bengbu City, Anhui
- The excavation at Liujiazhuang Locus North at Yinxu Site in Anyang City, Henan in 2010–2011
- The excavation of the pottery workshop site at Liujiazhuang Locus North of Yinxu in Anyang City, Henan
- The excavation of the Shigudun Site in Tongling County, Anhui
- A Western Zhou tomb at Shigushan in Baoji, Shaanxi
- The ancient bridges over the Jue River near the Han Chang’an City
- The archaeological exploration on the early settlements of nomadic cultures in Tibet
- The relationship between the Shang and the ethnic groups on the Northern Frontiers as reflected in the northern-style bronzes unearthed in Yinxu Site
- A discussion on the identity of the stone human figures unearthed at the Jinsha Site
- Study on the etched carnelian beads unearthed in China
- On the greenish-blue glazed pottery jug unearthed from the Eastern Han tombs at Liaowei in Hepu County, Guangxi
- Reexamination of the domestic chicken in ancient China
- Research on the white pottery, stamped hard pottery, and proto- porcelains unearthed at Erlitou
