Sometimes such discoveries come to the fore in the world of archaeology, which force us to think how ahead of their time the ancient civilizations were. A recent discovery in China is also similar. An ancient road buried under the ground has once again exposed that chapter of history, which even today's modern engineering is surprised to see. Chinese archaeologists have discovered a new part of a huge road about 2,200 years old. This road is called the Chin Strait Road and is counted among the most ambitious infrastructure projects of the ancient world. Its design and scale is being compared to today's modern highways.
This discovery took place on December 9 in Yulin city of Shanxi province of China. Here, during the excavation, the team of Cultural Heritage Conservation and Research Institute discovered about 13 kilometer long part of this historical road. This road once served to connect the center of China's first empire with its northern borders. According to old historical documents, this entire route was about 900 kilometers long and passed through a large part of Northern China.
If we look into history, we come to know that this road was built on the orders of China's first emperor Chin Shi Huang. The most surprising thing is that at a time when roads in many parts of the world were no more than unpaved paths, such a huge and straight road was built in just five years without any modern machine. The main purpose of this road was to connect the capital Xianyang with Jiuyuan located in today's Inner Mongolia region. This was not a normal road, but a strategic military route. It was used to rapidly transport troops and essential goods to the border areas. It was specifically created to deal with the attacks of the nomadic community called Xiongnu, who were considered a major threat to China's northern borders at that time.
The structure of the road revealed during the excavation has greatly impressed the scientists and engineers. The engineers of that time had created an almost completely straight route by cutting the mountains and filling deep valleys. The average width of the road was about 40 meters, which is considered equal to today's four-lane highway. At some places its width has been found to be up to 60 meters. To make the road durable, rammed earth technology was used, in which a very strong base is created by pressing the soil layer by layer. Apart from this, arrangements for slopes and drainage were also made, so that the road remains safe for a long time. This shows that the people of that period not only knew how to build, but also understood the needs of the future.
This part found in Yulin was hidden inside the desert, due to which it was not easy to find it. Archaeologists compared old historical records with modern satellite images. Then he saw light straight lines on the ground in the middle of the desert, which were pointing towards this ancient road.
During the excavation, a small relay station was also found near the road, from where messages and movement of troops were probably controlled. Apart from this, pieces of pottery have also been found. These indicate that the use of this route was not limited to the Ch'in dynasty, but continued till the time of the Han dynasty, i.e. from 206 BC to 220 AD.
China's Cultural Heritage Administration has described this road as the second largest national defense project after the Great Wall of China. Besides, it is also being considered as the initial form of the world's modern highway system. This discovery not only helps in understanding the history of China in a new way, but also shows how human civilization had determined the path of development with far-sighted thinking thousands of years ago.
