[Explanation] The "Archaeological China" major project work progress meeting was held in Chengdu on March 20. The major new archaeological discoveries of the Sanxingdui site were announced. More than 500 important cultural relics have been unearthed from the 6 Sanxingdui cultural "sacrifice pits". The mysterious veil of the Shu civilization provides precious materials.
As the largest and highest-level central site discovered in the Sichuan Basin during the Xia and Shang Dynasties, although the Sanxingdui site was discovered in the late 1920s, it was the Chinese archaeologists who made the investigation of the No. 1 and No. 2 sites in 1986. Rescue excavation of the "sacrifice pit".
The excavation unearthed more than a thousand bronze statues, bronze statues and other precious cultural relics. The Sanxingdui site, which "sleeps for three thousand years, wakes up the world" is also known as "one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of mankind in the 20th century."
It is understood that from November 2019 to May 2020, Chinese archaeologists discovered 6 new "sacrifice pits" of the Sanxingdui culture.
The plane of the "sacrifice pit" is rectangular, and the scale is between 3.5 square meters and 19 square meters.
At present, pits 3, 4, 5, and 6 have been excavated to the artifact level, and pits 7 and 8 are being excavated and filled with soil.
[Concurrent] Thunderstorm, the leader of archaeological excavations in the sacrificial area of Sanxingdui site
(Excavation) Highlights, the first is the golden mask, which is the golden mask in Pit 5, and the second is that there are a large number of remanufactured bronzes in Pit 3, which are made by the Shu people according to their own understanding and some new types.
The third point is that some bronze containers are of very good quality, which should be of the same level (cultural relics) beyond Pit No. 1 and Pit No. 2, which is part of the "Zun".
Silk is definitely the highlight.
[Explanation] According to Leiyu, the half of the mysterious golden mask unearthed at No. 5 "Sacrificial Pit" has a width of about 23 cm and a height of about 28 cm. According to speculation, the complete golden mask should weigh more than 500 grams.
[Concurrent] Thunderstorm, the leader of archaeological excavations in the sacrificial area of Sanxingdui site
The gold mask must be used as a sacrificial item, the sacrificial place or placed in the ancestral temple or temple, and then the shaman will wear it when sacrificial activities are to be held.
(Golden Mask) If the restoration is complete, it should be comparable to the weight of the golden rod, or even more than the weight of the golden rod.
If this is exceeded, then it is the largest gold product in China during the Shang Dynasty.
Many explanations back then were based on the sacrificial pits in Sanxingdui. Based on only two (pits), there are now a total of 8 (pits), which poses a big challenge to previous views.
[Explanation] It is reported that in the next few years, the main energy of archaeological work will be devoted to the excavation and research of the six newly discovered "sacrifice pits", including the sorting of archaeological materials, the restoration of artifacts, etc., and further exploration work , So as to grasp the scope and spatial pattern of the sacrificial area.
At the same time, related work will be carried out around the research of Sanxingdui city site.
Reporting from Chengdu by reporter He Xi, Lv Yang
Editor in charge: [Zhou Zhaojun]