Archaeologists have unearthed three wooden boats dating from the Han to the Wei-Jin period, around 206 BC to 420 AD, beneath Beijing’s Fengtai district. More than ten metres long, the vessels were buried about seven metres underground near the ruins of Jinzhongdu and an old channel of the Yongding River.
The boats, named Yongding River 1, 2 and 3, are described by archaeologists as the largest and best-preserved river vessels from their era found in northern China. Their location and condition offer clues about river navigation and transport in the region.
Ding Lina, a researcher at the Beijing Municipal Institute of Archaeology, said the discovery points to an important waterway that may have been vital for official navigation. The find was presented during Beijing’s Public Archaeology Season, an initiative organised by the city’s heritage authorities.
Marks reading guān, meaning “official” or “state,” were found on wooden parts of the second boat. The Beijing Daily reported that the markings indicate the boats were built or managed by the government.
The vessels also feature a sophisticated construction method: shaped edges on wooden planks fitted together, with small wooden pegs reinforcing the joints. The Beijing Daily noted that similar techniques were widely used in shipbuilding in the Roman-era Mediterranean, from around the first century BC to the fifth century AD, but have rarely been documented elsewhere. Researchers say the boats provide new evidence of technological and cultural exchanges between East and West.
Sources: elDiario.es.