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New treasures found in archaeological ruins in China

A treasure trove of exquisite bronze, gold and jade items, including at least ten bronze objects with features never before seen in the history of human civilization, have been found at the renowned Sanxingdui ruins site in southwestern Sichuan province. , reported the Xinhua agency.

The team of archaeologists from the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeological Research, Peking University, Sichuan University and other research institutions and universities excavated six sacrificial pits in Sanxingdui since 2020.

Most of the new finds come from the No. 7 and No. 8 pits, bringing the total number of items discovered in the six pits to about 13,000, according to the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeological Research.

A bronze box with a jade item inside, which was found in Pit Number 7, is the most striking of the newly found artifacts.

The top and bottom of the container are covered with tortoise-shaped reticular lids, and the different sides of the box are adorned with a bronze hinge, dragon-head handles, and bronze pennants. Micro-trace analysis revealed that the box was originally wrapped in silk, according to the archaeologists.

“It would not be an exaggeration to say that the container is one of a kind, in consideration of its particular shape, the quality of its craftsmanship and its ingenious design. Although we don’t know what it was used for, it can be assumed that the people of the time highly valued it,” said Sichuan University professor Li Haichao, who is in charge of excavating the No. 7 pit.

Jade objects and decorations, as well as bronze figurines and bells, were also found in the pit.

In the adjacent Number 8 Pit, archaeologists unearthed a variety of artifacts, including bronze heads with gold masks, a bronze sculpture with a human head and the body of a serpent, a bronze altar, a gigantic mythical creature made of bronze, and a crafts, also in bronze, in the shape of a dragon and a pig’s nose.

“The sculptures are very complex and imaginative, reflecting the fantasy world imagined by people back then. In addition, they show the diversity and abundance of Chinese civilization,” said Peking University associate professor and head of the No. 8 pit excavation, Zhao Hao.

Around the main pits, archaeologists also found ash ditches, architectural foundations and small sacrificial pits, and cultural relics, as well as bamboo, reeds, and soybeans. Also noteworthy is the presence of bovines and wild boars, which were possibly sacrificed.

The Sanxingdui site was discovered in the late 1920s and is considered one of the world’s greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century.

The ruins, located in the city of Guanghan, about 60 kilometers from Chengdu, the provincial capital, cover an area of ​​12 square kilometers, and are believed to be the remains of the Shu Kingdom, which dates back to between 4,500 and three thousand years ago.

VTV/Ora/EMPG

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