A mini gate tower of the imperial Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to A.D. 220), the smallest ever spotted, has been unearthed in the Three Gorges area, according to archaeologists.

Discovered in the Dengjiatuo ruins, located in Zhongxian county of southwest China's Chongqing municipality, the stone gate tower was 3.2 meters tall and was thin in shape. The delicately-built tower was engraved with rare birds and animals of ancient folkloreon its body and head, said archaeologists.

So far, more than 30 gate towers of Han dynasty have been spotted in China, three of which were unearthed in Zhongxian county before.

A memorial structure, the gate tower was always erected in front of palaces, temples and tombs, archaeologists noted, and they were living fossils for in-depth studies of culture, and vivid architectures and sculptures of ancient China.

Source: Xinhua