4500 year old city unearthed in eastern China

A Neolithic city was unearthed Wednesday in east China's Anhui province, archaeologists said, and has been dated as 4,500 years old. Part of a trapezoidal city wall and a moat from the Nanchengzi Ruins have been uncovered, along with a great number of houses, archaeologists from Wuhan University told China's state-run Xinhua news agency. The Nanchengzi Ruins, first found in the 1980s, were believed to be the site of a small ancient settlement, but were identified as part of a larger city after the discovery of the city wall, they said. Items from the Neolithic Age through to the Han Dynasty, which dates back about 2,000 years, have been found in the ruins, including deer heads and antlers, tortoise shell, and wheat and rice seeds, they said. "The discovery is very valuable for research on historical, social and environmental changes in the area," Wuhan University archaeologist He Xiaolin said.