The layout of the city gate   Photo: Courtesy of Wenzhou municipal government

Several new archaeological discoveries, including the remains of a Song Dynasty (960-1279) city gate, have recently been made at the Shuomen Ancient Port, an archaeological site in East China's Zhejiang Province. 

Located in Wenzhou, the ancient port was a major site for exchanges along the ancient Maritime Silk Road.

The Song Dynasty city gate is called Feng'en Gate. Its opening ranges 2.8 meters in width, and prior to the discovery, the gate had only appeared in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) text Hongzhi Wenzhou Fuzhi, or the Wenzhou Chronicle in the Reign of Hongzhi. 

With the discovery of Feng'en Gate, a total of 10 ancient Wenzhou city gates recorded in historical texts have all been found. 

The gates and their arrangement are "essential for studying the ancient port's planning and its unique port-city configuration," Xu Yitao, an architecture archaeologist, told the Global Times. 

The Shuomen Ancient Port site is significant because it boasts comprehensive elements such as docks, city remains, maritime routes and shipwrecks. These reveal how a port functioned along the Maritime Silk Road in ancient times. 

In another update at the site, archaeologists have identified how its docks were built. They were found to have been built in different styles such as sloped ones, a platform type of dock featuring multiple steps, wooden bridge docks and a single dock of smaller size. One of the excavated docks showed a clear Tang Dynasty (618-907) architectural style. 

"If it is confirmed to have been made during the Tang Dynasty, then this discovery will push back the age of the site, as most of the dock ­remains currently discovered from here belonged to the Song to Yuan (1279-1368) dynasties," archaeologist He Jierao told the Global Times. 

He also added that these different dock designs were aimed to cater to the "diversity of cargoes and the means to transport them." 

New discoveries were also made at the No.2 shipwreck, a highlighted excavation at the site. 

Six human skeletal remains have been found by researchers near the sunken ship's bow and stern. 

Other than human remains, animal bones, along with fruit pits and wood pieces were found scattered in the ship's cabin. 

These animal and plant remains also revealed the diets and habits of ancient people. A large number of oysters, blood clams and river snails were unearthed from the Song Dynasty strata of the site. 

Archaeologists also uncovered remains of domesticated animals such as pigs, dogs and goats. Animal bones at the site show signs of butchering and dismemberment, providing evidence of the dietary activities of ancient people. 

According to the analysis of the shipwreck's location, and the distribution of the bones, the shipwreck "might have been caused by a storm, a naval disaster or a war," said Liang Yanhua, director of the Wenzhou Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. 

Approximately 60 artifacts were also unearthed near the shipwreck. This batch of relics includes nets, bamboo baskets and mats used for fishing. 

Porcelains made at the Longquan and Ou kilns, including porcelain bowls and a double-handled jar, were also found. Porcelain exchanges were a major form of trade along the Maritime Silk Road. Prior to this batch of new finds, more than 20 tons of porcelain fragments had been excavated from the site since 2021. 

In October 2021, the site was discovered. Excavation on site was carried out from 2021 to 2022, covering an area of 7,000 square meters. 

A prolific number of architectural remains and more than 5,000 artifacts, including lacquerware, porcelain pieces and bronze coins, were unearthed. 

These relics, along with the site's architectural remains, show the "prosperity of the Maritime Silk Road culture," said Wang Wei, the chief expert of China's national project to trace the origins of Chinese civilization. 

Noting that the Shuomen Ancient Port is a major supporting site for China's application of the Maritime Silk Road as a World Heritage treasure, he emphasized that the site fills an important gap in the history of the Maritime Silk Road.