3,000-Year-Old Gold Mask Found At China’s Legendary Sanxingdui Ruins

A couple of significant findings have recently been made published at the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins location in southwest Sichuan, China, in which experts claimed that these will assist in granting insights into the complex origin of Chinese civilization.

Source: CNN

Among the findings are six new sacrificial pits, together with over 500 artifacts from 3 millennia ago, including pieces of golden masks, golden foil, bronze masks, bronze trees and several ivories, together with pieces of miniature ivory sculptures, carbonized rice and seeds of trees were also excavated.

Source: CNN

The remaining parts of the newly found pits are still being dug up. “Surprisingly, we have unearthed some never-heard-of-before bronze ware items,” said Lei Yu, with the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute. “For instance, some large and delicate bronze ware items have bizarre-looking dragon or cow designs on them.”

Source: CNN

This is the first time that the Sanxingdui site has witnessed the discovery of residues of silk and textile products, suggesting that “the ancient Shu Kingdom was one of the important origins of silk in ancient China,” as per Tang Fei, head of the excavation team and chief of the institute.

Source: CNN

Previously, scientists discovered two sacrificial pits here in 1986, and this is the third one, situated nearby the two mentioned. All of them are rectangular, having size varying from 3.5 m2 to 19 m2, totally creating an area where the ancient Shu residents offered sacrifices to heaven, earth and their ancestors, and prayed for prosperity and peace.
The most recent round of excavation process is joined by over 30 institutions using advanced technologies and integration of excavation and preservation.

Source: CNN

Known as one of the most remarkable archaeological site in terms of mankind in the 20^th century, the Sanxingdui Ruins site was initially found by a farmer digging a ditch in the 1920s.
Extending for 12 square km, the ruins are situated in the municipality of Guanghan, about 60 km from Chengdu, and are thought to be what is left of the Shu Kingdom, dating back at least 4,800 years and lasting over 2,000 years.

Source: CNN

Back in 1986, archaeologists uncovered a vast quantity of remarkable artifacts in the No. 1 and No. 2 pits, stirring up worldwide curiosity. Up to now, they have found 50,000 items more, and the site has been put under state-level preservation in 1988.

Source: CNN

Hand shovels, surgical knives and bamboo slips are being used to recover the prehistoric relics from the new pits with great care. “We have to be extra careful in retrieving these relics,” said Jiang Luman, with the Chengdu Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute.
Jiang is one of the workers at the No. 5 pit. She said a lot of the ivory pieces at the pit are in poor condition and require special care during excavation.

Source: CNN

“The ivory needs to remain humid and at a stable temperature, so we take various measures to ensure it is kept under such conditions. So far, we have retrieved more than 100 cultural items.”
The ancestral types of some bronze items unearthed at Sanxingdui can be found in the Central Plains or other areas along the Yangtze River, which is powerful evidence of frequent exchanges, according to Chinese researchers.

Source: CNN

“The new discoveries will enrich and deepen our understanding of the Sanxingdui culture,” said Song Xinchao, deputy director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

Source: CNN

Source: CNN

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