Archaeologists have discovered an ancient battlefield dating back to the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589) at the Yecheng historic site in north China's Hebei Province, according to the Yecheng archaeological team.

Located in the city of Handan, the Yecheng historic site comprises two interconnected ancient city ruins and was once the capital of several ancient dynasties.

Many ancient military artifacts, including armor and weapons, were unearthed during the excavation of the former moat outside the Zhuming Gate of the southern city ruins. Additionally, the remains of a bridge, including a brick-built load-bearing wall and evenly spaced pillar holes, were found.

"This excavation has provided a preliminary understanding of the layout and structure of the moat and bridge, while providing new materials for researching the ceremonies and warfare centered around the gate," said Shen Lihua, associate researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

According to Shen, who is responsible for the excavation, the moat runs roughly parallel to the direction of the city wall. At the central axis of the gate, the water channel of the moat is slightly narrower, and the riverbank is steeper. A large amount of armor, bricks, tiles and ceramic fragments were unearthed from the sediment in the ancient moat.

The archaeological team, composed of members from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Hebei provincial institute of cultural relics and archaeology, conducted trial excavations on the moat from March to June 2023.