Hundreds of ancient wells discovered in central China

Archaeologists in Hubei province said that over 200 wells have been unearthed in the capital of a 3,000-year-old kingdom.

The large well complex, a rare discovery in China, was closely grouped in an artificial waterway in Jinan township of Jingzhou city, according to the city's archaeological authority.

The wells are similar in size to their modern equivalents, measuring 0.8-meter in diameter and five to eight meters deep, and their inner walls are tiled with bamboo or pottery scraps, archaeologists said.

Initial probes concluded that the wells were dug during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), when Jinan was the capital city of the Chu State (1042-223 BC). The wells suggest heavy water usage in cities at that time.

More than 200 pieces of pottery and wood- and iron-ware were also unearthed at the site, which could help researchers understand the urban life and culinary cultures of the Chu State.