Site of Yongning Fort

Site of Yongning Fort

The Site of Yongning Fort is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Shanxi Province.

Site of Yongning Fort

Site of Yongning Fort (First Batch Provincial-Level Protected Site)

Era: Western Zhou Dynasty

Address: Yongning Fort Village, 5 km northeast of Hongtong County

In March 1957, villagers digging earth in the village unearthed over 300 important bronze artifacts, including an inscription of eight characters in two lines on the inner wall of a ding vessel: “□□乍(作)父丁宝鼎□□”. One gui vessel had an inscription on its base: “乍(作)永商彝殴.” Judging from the shapes and decorative patterns of the artifacts, the burial site and the unearthed bronzes are believed to date back to the early Western Zhou Dynasty.

In June and October 1980, archaeologists conducted exploratory drilling and excavations at Yongning Fort. A total area of 13,000 square meters was explored, uncovering 20 ash pits and 56 tombs. Twenty-two of these tombs were excavated and cleared. Most of the tombs are from the Western Zhou period and are rectangular vertical earthen pit graves.

The unearthed funerary objects mainly include bronze ware, pottery, jade and stone artifacts, as well as bone, shell, and clamware. There were over 800 pieces of bronze ware and 43 pieces of pottery. Based on analysis of the tomb structures, as well as the combinations, forms, and decorative patterns of the funerary objects, these tombs are dated to the Western Zhou Dynasty and can be roughly divided into early, middle, and late periods.

Their cultural characteristics are entirely consistent with those of the Western Zhou-period cultural remains found at the Tianma–Qucun site.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Sites