2017 a good year for archaeology

Last year was a fruitful one for Chinese archaeologists. Finds provide a clear profile of the country's development.

New discoveries included the earliest wheat－from about 5,000 years ago－in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region; the country's biggest unearthed reservoir of horses and chariots used as funeral objects, in Henan province; and the remains of a Qin State kings' bathroom and other living facilities during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).

They were among the Top 10 Archaeological New Discoveries of China in 2017, which were announced in Beijing on Tuesday.

A hoard of silver left during a war by Zhang Xianzhong－a household name and a controversial leader of an uprising in the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)－was also a widely discussed discovery of 2017.

"This year's listed projects have wide geographic distribution, time spectrums and varieties," said panel member Wang Wei, head of the Society of Chinese Archaeology.