Chinese archaeologists recently made some surprising discoveries at the legendary Sanxingdui archaeological site in Sichuan province, southwest of the country.
A treasure trove of exquisite bronze, gold and jade, including at least 10 golden inscriptions (inscriptions engraved or cast on bronze) unearthed for the first time in the history of human civilization, has been unearthed at Tam Tam. Tinh Doi, Xinhua News Agency reported on June 13.
The archaeological team from Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology, Peking University, Sichuan University and other research institutions and universities excavated six sacrificial pits at Sanxingdui from 2020.
New archaeological discoveries at the legendary Chinese site are mainly from sacrificial pits 7 and 8, bringing the total number of artifacts discovered in 6 sacrificial pits in Sanxingdui to nearly 13,000, according to the Institute of Research. Research on Cultural and Archaeological Relics of Sichuan Province.
A bronze box containing green jade objects was discovered in hole number 7, a notable highlight among the newly excavated artifacts. The top and bottom of the vase have a turtle-shaped mesh lid, the sides have bronze joints, and the handle is shaped like a dragon’s head. Analysis by archaeologists found that this box was wrapped in silk.
“Even though we don’t know what this vase was used for, we can see that ancient people treasured it very much” – Li Haichao, professor at Sichuan University, who is in charge of excavations at pit 7 of Sanxing Couple, said.
Many other precious antiques made of jade, bronze, small statues and bells were also discovered in hole number 7.
At Sanxingdui’s sacrificial pit No. 8, archaeologists unearthed a variety of artifacts including bronze heads with golden masks, a bronze sculpture with a human head and snake body, and a bronze sculpture. bronze altar, a giant bronze mythical creature and a bronze dragon-shaped item with a pig’s nose.
“The sculptures are complex and imaginative, reflecting the fairy-tale world imagined by people at the time, and they demonstrate the diversity and richness of Chinese civilization” – Zhao Hao , associate professor at Peking University, who led the excavation of hole No. 8, said.
Around the sacrificial pits at Sanxingdui, archaeologists also found ash trenches, architectural foundations and small sacrificial pits, cultural relics, as well as bamboo, reeds, and beans. soybeans, cattle and wild boars may have been sacrificed.
The Tam Tinh Doi site was discovered in the late 1920s and is considered one of the world’s greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.
Tam Tinh Doi is located in Guanghan city, about 60km from the capital Chengdu of Sichuan province. This archaeological site covers an area of 12 square kilometers and is believed to be the ruins of the Shu Kingdom, dating back about 4,500 to 3,000 years.
