Discovery of Ancient Vessels in Northern China
Archaeologists from the Beijing Municipal Institute of Archaeology have uncovered three wooden boats dating back to the Han and Jin dynasties in the old riverbed of the Yunding River, located in northern China. These boats represent the largest known vessels used for inland waterways from that era in the region. They were recovered from a depth of 7 meters in Fengtai District during restoration work at Wanquansi Village at the end of 2022.
Each flat-bottomed boat measures over 10 meters in length, with the third boat reaching 15 meters and the second 14 meters long. The hull of the second vessel is divided into nine compartments, and its surface bears ten carved inscriptions of the character '官' (guan), which is associated with government authority. Radiocarbon dating places these boats at the end of the Eastern Han period and through the Wei and Jin dynasties.
The Historical Importance of the Finds
Constructed mainly from pine, with some fastenings made of mulberry wood, the boats' hulls were assembled using wooden dowels for the bottom planks, while iron nails secured the upper sections. Alongside the boats, archaeologists also discovered human remains as well as bones from horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, and dogs. The vessels have been reinforced with steel frames and transported for conservation.
This discovery provides the earliest direct evidence of navigable waterways in the Beijing area in ancient times. Researcher Ding Lin highlighted that
"these are the largest known inland watercraft from this period in northern China."He also emphasized that
"some 1800 years ago, a river route here connected northern China to the Central Plains."The inscriptions on the boats offer valuable insight into state-controlled transportation during the Han and Jin eras.
These findings significantly advance our understanding of ancient Chinese water transport and shed light on the socio-economic connections between different regions of the country in antiquity. They promise to reveal new information on trade routes and cultural exchanges of the time. Studying these artifacts helps reconstruct the historical setting and provides a richer picture of life during the Han and Jin dynasties.