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A bronze ornament excavated from the site. [Photo/Shaoxing News]

A major new archaeological discovery has shed fresh light on the history of the ancient Yue Kingdom in Shaoxing, East China's Zhejiang province.

The Nanshan Site, the largest Eastern Zhou-period (770-256 BC) settlement discovered so far in Shaoxing, is believed to be a typical suburban settlement outside the Yue Kingdom's capital. Archaeological excavations, jointly conducted by local and provincial institutes since November 2021, have uncovered an area of 33,800 square meters.

The excavation has revealed seven earthen platforms separated by ancient waterways, along with 11 house foundations, 2,296 ash pits, 327 ditches, and 18 wells. Waterways here once formed a three-tiered network connecting the settlement with the nearby Potang River, highlighting the sophisticated water-management practices of the time.

Researchers identified two main building types: large timber structures and stilt-style houses, while also unearthing numerous artifacts, ranging from primitive porcelain and pottery to bronze weapons, agricultural tools, musical instruments, and daily utensils.

Isotope analysis also suggests that some lead materials came from the Kuaiji Mountain area in eastern Zhejiang, while some lead-tin materials may have come from the Nanling region, offering new evidence of ancient metal resource use and interregional exchange.

The findings, along with discoveries at several other Yue-period sites, have helped reconstruct Shaoxing's social organization, economy, and prosperity around 2,500 years ago.