The recently rumored news about the excavation of cultural relics at Dongfeng East Road Elementary School has been confirmed.

On December 16th, the reporter visited the archaeological site at Dongfeng East Road Elementary School in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou. Professionals were still working on-site. The scale of the excavation is significant, and surveys have indicated that the tombs mainly date back to the Han Dynasty (BC 206 - AD 220), the Jin Dynasty (AD 265–420), and the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties (AD 220-589). Many tombs from the Southern Jin Dynasty feature exquisitely designed long drainage channels.

What about the unearthed artifacts? According to Zhu Mingmin, Vice Director of the Guangzhou Municipal Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology, a total of around 90 relics from the Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty have been discovered at Dongfeng East Road Elementary School and the teaching building of Guangzhou Second Kindergarten. Among them, there are 71 tombs, including 20 from the Period of Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, 14 from the Tang and Song Dynasties, and 37 from the Ming and Qing Dynasties; as well as 9 ash pits, 3 wells, and 7 drainage channels. Approximately 108 pieces (sets) of various types of artefacts have been unearthed, including chicken-headed pots, green-glazed bowls, three-legged inkstones, four-handled jars, and soapstone pigs.

Regrettably, due to the impact of modern construction, the majority of the ancient relics discovered this time are not preserved well. As the distribution of the tombs is concentrated, most of them were interrupted by the later ones or robbed by grave diggers, resulting in a limited number of unearthed artifacts. Also, due to the lack of written materials, the identities of the tomb occupants cannot be confirmed yet. However, considering the fact that there was no evidence of high-profile burials, professionals gave a preliminary assessment that the tomb occupants were common people.

It is reported that the site of Dongfeng East Road Elementary School and Guangzhou Second Kindergarten, where the expansion and construction project was carried out, is located on the south side of Dongfeng East Road in Yuexiu District, adjacent to Fujin Road in the east and Sanyu Road in the south, covering an area of 20,744 square meters.

As the project area falls within the burial area of the "Honghuagang-Zhusigang-Meihuacun" underground cultural relics, as the laws and regulations on cultural relic protection suggest, the Guangzhou Municipal Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology conducted archaeological surveys on the project site in February, March, and October 2023. This led to the discovery of cultural remains from the Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. After obtaining approval from the National Cultural Heritage Administration, the archaeological excavation (Phase I) officially commenced in November 2023.

The discovery site this time is located in the eastern suburbs of the ancient city of Guangzhou, approximately three kilometers away from the center (around the present-day Beijing Road and Zhongshan Fourth Road area). Zhang Xi, the project leader of the archaeological excavation at Dongfeng East Road Elementary School, mentioned that since 1953, archaeologists have carried out multiple excavations in that underground cultural relic burial area, uncovering tombs, wells, ash pits, and ash channels from different periods as well as a large number of cultural relics.

Zhu Mingmin revealed that the ongoing Phase I of the archaeological project at Dongfeng East Road Elementary School is expected to be completed by the end of December 2023, which will excavate over 4,000 square meters out of the total project area of over 20,000 square meters. The whole project will complete the excavation of approximately 8,000 square meters.

Zhang Xi added that this archaeological discovery has not only confirmed the dense distribution of tombs in the eastern suburbs of Guangzhou, but also provides significant material for deepening the understanding of the distribution of tombs, particularly in the Dongshankou area, within the burial area of cultural relics.

Source: Yangcheng Evening News

挖到宝了！广州东风东路小学发现汉至明清遗迹约90处、文物约108件（套）

近日盛传的广州市越秀区东风东路小学挖出文物一事已经得到确认。

12月16日下午，记者来到位于越秀区东风东路756号的东风东路小学本校区考古现场，看到目前仍有专业人员正在进行作业，发掘现场规模较大，勘探显示墓葬以汉、两晋以及魏晋南北朝时期为主，不少晋南朝时期的砖室墓设有造型精美的长排水沟。

出土文物情况如何？据广州市文物考古研究院副院长朱明敏介绍，本次东风东路小学本校区及广州市第二幼儿园教学楼清理汉至明清等各时期遗迹约90处，其中墓葬71座，包括魏晋南北朝时期20座，唐宋时期14座以及明清时期37座，灰坑9个，井3口，排水沟7条，出土鸡首壶、青釉碗、三足砚、四系罐、滑石猪等各类质地文物约108件（套）。

遗憾的是，受现代建筑基础影响，此次清理的古代遗迹绝大多数保存状况一般，墓葬分布相对集中，存在晚期墓打破早期墓的现象，且多被盗扰、出土器物较少。由于缺少文字材料，尚无法确认墓主身份，不过暂未发现高规格墓葬，初步判断墓主为普通民众。

据悉，东风东路小学本校区及广州市第二幼儿园教学楼改扩建工程项目用地位于广州市越秀区东风东路南侧，东邻福今路，南邻三育路，面积20744平方米。

由于项目地处“红花岗—竹丝岗—梅花村”地下文物埋藏区范围。根据文物保护法律法规，配合项目建设，广州市文物考古研究院于2023年2月、3月、10月对项目用地进行考古勘探，发现汉至明清时期文化遗存。在报请国家文物局同意后，于2023年11月正式开展考古发掘（一期）工作。

本次发现地点地处于广州古城东郊，距广州古城中心（今北京路、中山四路一带）直线距离约3公里，东风东路小学考古发掘项目负责人张希介绍，1953年以来，考古工作者在该地下文物埋藏区范围内配合建设工程进行了多次考古工作，清理了各时期古墓葬、水井、灰坑、灰沟等遗存，出土了大量文物。

朱明敏透露，目前实施的是东风东路小学考古一期项目，已接近尾声，计划12月底完成，在两万余平方米的项目用地中真正开挖的占八千平方米左右，一期将完成四千余平方米的发掘工作。

张希则提到，本次考古发现不仅印证了广州市东郊墓葬密集分布的情况，也为加深文物埋藏区尤其是东山口片区墓葬分布的认识提供了重要材料。

文丨记者 王沫依 文艺 朱绍杰 通讯员 穗文考
图丨记者 宋金峪 林桂炎 刘畅 王绮静
翻译丨洪婷