The seat of the government from 710 to 784 in Nara, Japan. The palace, located in the north-central part of the grand capital set in a grid-pattern, covers an area of approximately one square kilometre, of which a little under a quarter has been excavated since 1959. Remains of some 500 buildings, including royal residences, administrative quarters, warehouses and workshops, have been uncovered. Of particular interest are over 20,000 thin rectangular pieces of wood, which served as office memoranda and labels attached to tributes from the provinces.
The Macmillan dictionary of archaeology, Ruth D. Whitehouse, 1983Copied