The Taicheng ruins are the remnants of the palace complex of the Six Dynasties period (3rd-6th centuries CE), when Nanjing — then called Jiankang — was the capital of several successive Chinese kingdoms. The area around the Drum Tower and north of Xinjiekou corresponds roughly to the footprint of the ancient city. Stone foundation blocks and inscribed tablets have been found throughout the area.
The Nanjing Municipal Museum at Chaotian Palace covers the Six Dynasties period in its best historical display, and a separate Six Dynasties Museum is in the Xuanwu district. The period is less well-known internationally than the Ming and Republican eras but represents an equally important chapter — the Six Dynasties were when Buddhism became entrenched in southern China, and Nanjing was the Buddhist capital of the eastern world in the 5th century.