The archaeological discovery of the Sunjiagang ruins in Hunan, a unique burial "mat burial"

　　Xinhua News Agency, Changsha, May 9 (Reporter Ruan Around, Star) The Hunan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology discovered a unique type of burial during the archaeological excavation of the Sunjiagang site in Li County.

　　According to Zhao Yafeng, associate researcher at the Hunan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the uniqueness of this burial is reflected in the placement of broken pots and pots of pottery at the bottom of the tomb, then placing the burial utensils, and then drinking dishes, cups, pots and other daily feasts. Placed in or on the burial tool and around the burial tool. The jade is placed in the burial tool along with the remains of the owner of the tomb.

　　According to reports, this is the first time that the "cushion burial" burial type has been identified on a large scale, and the "cushion" repair, repair and observation work is currently underway.

　　According to archaeological experts, a unique "cushion burial" burial method generally exists in the earthen tombs of the cemetery at the Sunjiagang site. Archaeologists discovered during the excavation that the buried pottery in each pit tomb had a spatial stratification phenomenon, and the lower layers were mostly pots and pots with large individual types, severely broken, and laid flat on the bottom of the tomb. The raw soil is distributed throughout the tomb, and part of it is attached to the bottom of the tomb wall. Small pots such as upper pots, cups, beans, plates, etc. can mostly maintain a complete three-dimensional state.

　　Zhao Yafeng introduced that "cushion burial" is a special burial custom in northwestern Hunan around 4,000 years ago. Its discovery has increased the archaeological community's cognition of ancient Chinese funerals, and can also use this burial customs as a symbol to explore the origin of the ethnic groups of the ancestors of the Sunjiagang site.

　　The Sunjiagang site is located in the northwestern part of Hunan Province, and the excavation of the existing tombs in the site ’s cemetery has been basically completed.