A turtle-shaped box and an altar of sacrifice are among a 13,000-year-old treasure trove dating back more than 3,000 years discovered by archaeologists in southwest China. The remains – many of gold, bronze and jade – were found in six sacrificial pits at the Sanxingdui Archaeological Site near Chengdu, Chinese state media reported on Monday.
Historians know relatively little about the Sanxingdui culture, which left no written records or human remains, although many believe it to be part of the ancient Shu Kingdom. It is hoped that the latest findings will shed light on the kingdom, which ruled in the western Sichuan Basin along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River until its conquest in 316 BC. A joint team of archaeologists from the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Sichuan Archaeological Research Institute, Peking University, Sichuan University and other research institutes have been excavating the six pits at the site since 2020. In the most recent excavation, archaeologists found 3,155 relatively intact remains, including more than 2,000 bronze items and statues, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency said. A bronze box was among the relics discovered at Sanxingdui. Credit: Chine Nouvelle / SIPA / Shutterstock

New findings from the past

The researchers described a turtle-shaped box made of bronze and jade as one of their most interesting finds, saying it was the first time they had discovered such an object. “It would not be an exaggeration to say that the boat is unique in its kind, given its characteristic shape, exceptional craftsmanship and clever design. Although we do not know what this boat was used for, we can assume that ancient people honored it. “Li Haitsao, a professor at Sichuan University, told Xinhua. A bronze altar almost 3 feet (0.9 meters) high was also found in one of the pits, where people of the Shu culture are believed to have made offerings to heaven, earth and their ancestors. Traces around the pits of bamboo, reeds, soybeans, cattle and boars indicate that all of these were offered as sacrifices.

Ancient cultural exchanges

Ran Honglin, director of the Sanxingdui Institute for the Study of Cultural Relics and Archeology, told Xinhua that the variety of objects in the area showed cultural exchanges between ancient cultures in China. He noted that one of the sculptures with a human head and a snake’s body was characteristic of ancient Shu culture, while the ritual vessels known as “zun” from the site were culturally emblematic of Zhongyuan, an area known as its center. Of China. plains. “More cultural relics discovered in Sanxingdui have also been seen in other locations in China, proving the early exchange and integration of Chinese culture,” Ran said. The 4.6-square-mile archeological site has yielded thousands of ancient artifacts since a local farmer encountered it in the 1920s. last year. Although not yet recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sanxingdui is on the organization’s “test list”.