On February 25, the “2022 Hubei Archaeological Achievements Exchange Meeting” organized by Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology was held at Panlongcheng site Museum, Wuhan. The meeting announced the No.11 Protruding Rampart Site of Jingzhou City Wall was awarded the “2022 Six New Archaeological Discoveries in Hubei Province”.

It is learned that the No. 11 Protruding Rampart Site is located in the eastern section of the North City Wall, between the Mingyuelou Site and Yuan’an Gate. Since March 2019, 194 relics have been excavated in this protruding rampart site, including the early wall base and brick city wall from the Five Dynasties to the Song Dynasty. The archaeological excavation discloses the construction and utilization of Jingzhou City Wall from the Five Dynasties to the Qing Dynasty, and showcases the historical and cultural connotations of Jingzhou ancient city, providing the latest information for the research of the historical change of Jingzhou city wall.

This is also the first time to discover a “wall over wall” structure in Jingzhou city wall. The brick wall of the Ming Dynasty was built directly on the walls of the Five Dynasties to the Song Dynasty. Such a visual presentation of historical scene not only reveals the historical change of Jingzhou city wall and but also expands its cultural connotation. In addition, the archaeological excavation and historical documents complement each other. It clarifies the evolution process of this wall and confirms that the Jingzhou city wall is the only brick city wall that has been in continuous use for the longest time and best preserved in China. The excavation indicates that this section of the brick wall was first built during the Five Dynasties, and has been continuously extended and used by later generations in the next thousand years.