The remains of a gold mask are among a huge cache of 3,000-year-old artifacts found at an archaeological site in China’s Sichuan province.
The discoveries were made in Sanxingdui, an area of 4.6 square miles outside the provincial capital of Chengdu. Some experts say the items could further illuminate the ancient state of Shu, a kingdom that ruled the western Sichuan basin until it was conquered in 316 BC.
A bronze item recently discovered in a sacrificial grave at the Sanxingdui archaeological site. Credit: Li He / Xinhua / Sipa USA
More than 50,000 ancient artifacts have been found in Sanxingdui since the 1920s, when a local farmer accidentally found a series of relics there. A breakthrough came in 1986, with the discovery of two ceremonial ditches containing more than 1,000 items, including elaborate and well-preserved bronze masks.
Golden decor was among more than 500 other items recently discovered on the site. Credit: Brochure / Xinhua / Sipa USA
After a long hiatus in the excavations, a third pit was found in late 2019, leading to the discovery of another five last year. Experts believe that the ditches were used for sacrifice purposes, explaining why many of the items contained were ritually burnt when thrown and buried.
Independent civilization
Sanxingdui is believed to be at the center of Shu State, about which historians know relatively little due to the few written records. The discoveries made at the site date back to the 12th and 11th centuries BC, and many of the items are now on display at a museum on site.
The website revolutionized experts’ understanding of how civilization developed in ancient China. In particular, evidence of a unique Shu culture suggests that the kingdom developed independently of neighboring societies in the Yellow River Valley, which was traditionally considered to be the birthplace of Chinese civilization.
An archaeologist photographed working in one of the pits earlier this month. Credit: Shen Bohan / Sinhua / SipaUSA
The deputy director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, Song Xinchao, told the state press agency Xinhua that the latest findings “enrich and deepen our understanding of Sanxingdui culture”.
The discovery of silk fibers and fabric scraps can also expand our understanding of Shu. The head of the excavation team and head of the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Archaeological Research and Cultural Relics, Tang Fei, said at a news conference that the discovery indicates that the kingdom “was one of the important origins of silk in ancient China,” according to Xinhua. .
A bronze head and mask discovered in Sanxingdui in 1986, when the first sacrificial pits were found at the site. Credit: Shen Bohan / Xinhua / Sipa USA
Caption of the image at the top: A gold mask discovered in a sacrificial grave in the ruins of Sanxingdui, in Sichuan province, China.