1,000-year-old skeleton found at Taichung dig

SIGNIFICANT DISCOVERY:Three skeletons were found during construction of a new road, along with pottery and pieces of agate at the site which dates back 1,800 years
Staff writer, with CNA


Three human skeletons were recently unearthed at the Chung-she archeological site in Greater Taichung, a finding that a local archeologist described on Monday as a significant discovery.

One of the skeletons dates back about 1,000 years, the latter stages of the Fanzaiyuan culture, said archeologist Liu Yi-chang (劉益昌), a researcher at Academia Sinica’s Institute of History and Philology.

The skeleton is believed to be that of a middle-aged female, about 1.62m tall, he said.

It was found face down with both arms behind its back. The other two skeletons have not yet been completely analyzed, he said.

The three skeletons were discovered at a construction site for a road in the city, said Liu, who has been in charge of the excavation of the site, which is expected to be completed at the end of May.

Liu said the construction project would shift into a higher gear soon, which means he and his team must speed up their work to recover as many artifacts as possible before the site is covered in concrete.

The archeological team has also unearthed pottery and agate pieces at the site that date back 1,800 years. An entire village, complete with a drainage system and stilt houses, has been unearthed as well, he said.

The Chung-she archeological site, uncovered in 1997, contains evidence of multiple cultures and is spread over an area of about 1 million square meters.

However, only 250,000m2 have been registered by the city government as a historical site.



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