Third-Century Palace Unearthed in Japan

News February 7, 2014

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SAKURAI, JAPAN—The discovery of another building at the Makimuku archaeological site, which is located near the ancient capital of Nara, suggests that the third-century complex was home to Queen Himiko and perhaps her successor, Toyo, who are mentioned in early Chinese documents. “The latest finding virtually confirms that the buildings stood in a regular geometry along the central axis of a quadrangular area stretching 150 meters from east to west. That is an extraordinary dimension for third-century artifacts,” Hironobu Ishino of the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology, explained to The Asahi Shimbun.

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