China News Service, Guanghan, June 13 (Reporter Yue Yitong) The reporter learned from the news briefing on the phased results of the archaeological excavation at the Sanxingdui site held in Guanghan, Sichuan on the 13th that the archaeological excavation of the newly discovered 6 sacrificial pits at the Sanxingdui site has entered the final stage. , a total of nearly 13,000 numbered cultural relics were unearthed from the 6 pits, including 3,155 relatively complete cultural relics.

Except for pits 5 and 6, which were later dated, the sacrificial pits 3, 4, 7, and 8 were buried in the same age as the late Shang Dynasty.

Archaeologists also newly discovered small sacrificial pit groups and building foundations in the sacrificial area.

　　From 2020 to 2022, the sacrificial area of ​​the Sanxingdui site will be excavated in a total area of ​​1,834 square meters. It is basically confirmed that the sacrificial area is roughly rectangular in the northwest to southeast direction, parallel to the Sanxingdui city wall adjacent to the north, with an area of ​​nearly 13,000 square meters.

The excavation scene of No. 8 sacrificial pit.

Photo courtesy of Zhong Xiaoxin

　　So far, the excavation of No. 3 and 4 sacrificial pits has been completed. No. 5 and 6 sacrificial pits have been cut as a whole and moved to the Cultural Protection Center for laboratory archaeology. Pits 7 and 8, which are undergoing archaeological excavation, have once again discovered a large number of uniquely shaped and precious cultural relics.

　　Ran Honglin, director of the Sanxingdui Institute of Archaeology, Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, said that archaeologists have conducted carbon-14 dating on nearly 200 samples. The burial age of No. 3, No. 4, No. 7 and No. 8 sacrificial pits is the same as that of Pit No. 6, which is in the late Shang Dynasty, about 3200 to 3000 years ago. Buried age controversy.

Conference site.

Photo by Wang Lei

　　Ran Honglin revealed that during the excavation, archaeologists also found a building relic of more than 80 square meters in the sacrificial area of ​​the Sanxingdui site. It is part of a large building complex.

　　In addition, more than ten rectangular trenches, small circular or rectangular sacrificial pits were also found in the sacrificial area, and gold wares, collared copper pots, kneeling stone tigers, kneeling stone figures, stone cong, stone bi, Precious artifacts such as jade chisels, turquoise and ivory.

At present, archaeologists are still continuing to explore and excavate, trying to find the boundary of the sacrificial area and confirm its size, so as to help explore the formation process of the ancient Shu capital and the functional division of the capital.

Some artifacts unearthed.

Photo by Yue Yitong

　　According to reports, several new artifacts show that the Sanxingdui site has close cultural connections with other areas in China. For example, the bronze statues, copper pots and copper pots found in Pit 3 and Pit 8 are typical bronze utensils of the Yin-Shang culture in the Central Plains. Pit 3 , The jade cong found in pit 4 came from the Qijia culture in the Ganqing area.

In addition, the sacred tree, the kneeling figure and a large number of dragon-shaped utensils show that the users of the Sanxingdui site are similar to those in other regions of China in their own identity, rituals, religions and understanding of the nature of the world, which undoubtedly clearly indicates that the Sanxingdui site belongs to the ancient Shu. Civilization is an important element of Chinese civilization.

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