Ruins from the Western Zhou Period, Tanheli, Ningxiang County, Hunan Province.
The site was excavated by the Cultural Relics and Archeological Research Institute of Hunan Province in 2004. The excavation team was led by Xiang Taochu.
The team found a city wall from the Western Zhou Period (11th century-771BC) at Tanheli, Ningxiang County, Hunan Province. Part of the discovery included two large-sized artificial building sites, consisting of yellow earth, and two larger-sized sites, possibly palatial dwellings. Remains of moats from the same period were also discovered both inside and outside the city. Seven small tombs for nobles and lords were dug up in the highlands outside the city, from which a large number of bronze and jade wares were also excavated
This was the first time that the ancient city ruins of the Western Zhou Period were discovered in Hunan Province. The site is of great significance to the study of Hunan's regional history, bronze culture, and the formation of early state and society. The site also provides important material objects for researching the bronze civilization in the Western Zhou Period in the Xiangjiang River valley and the southern area as a whole.