Archaeologists discover 2000-yr-old major road in China

Archaeologists have found a portion of a 2000-year-old road, dating back to the Han dynasty, in central China's Henan province, according to a media report today.

The road, excavated at the ruins of county seat of Langling in Rendian Township, Queshan County, has intact vehicle tracks, indicating it was frequently used during that period, said Liu Haiwang, head of the provincial cultural heritage research institute.

Liu said the discovery was significant for the study of road construction, maintenance technology, and vehicles in the Han Dynasty (202BC - 220).

With an exposed length of 252 metres and a width ranging from 2.2 metres to 2.8 metres, part of the north-south road runs underneath the current G107 national highway.

Zhou Runshan, team leader of the project, said the deep road bed and the fine stone, ceramic, brick, and clay pieces used to fill in the vehicle tracks proved the road had been busy and frequently maintained.

An east-west road was also found in the ruins, which was 1,300 metres long and around 5 metres wide. The two roads met at an intersection with a ditch underneath, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

"A bridge made of large pieces of stone may have connected the road sections over the ditch," Zhou said, adding drainage channels were also found along the roads.

Further excavation will also be conducted at the ruins, according to Liu.