In the carriage and horse pits of the Shaojiapeng ruins, some of the martyrs have shell charms on their heads, and there are bronze substrates and gold veneer bubble ornaments hanging on the forehead of the horses (file photo). Xinhua News Agency (Courtesy of Anyang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology)
Zhengzhou, 5 Jan (Xinhua) -- Above the "Zhong" type tomb, 3 "Day" character courtyards are arranged in a regular manner; around the tomb, there are 4 carriage and horse pits and several funerary tombs; on a number of exquisitely shaped bronzes, there are inscriptions with the word "book" engraved... A few days ago, the Shang Dynasty "book" ethnic burial unity site was found in Shaojiapeng Village, Anyang, Henan, forming an arch guard for the Yin Ruins Palace Area.
After two years of archaeological excavations, the site of Shaojiapeng, located on the southeast edge of the Yin Ruins Conservation Area and 2.4 kilometers away from the ruins of the Ancestral Temple of the Yin Ruins Palace, has been judged by archaeologists to be an important area for the "Book" people of the Shang Dynasty to live and live. "In the Oracle, there is a record of the 'Book' clan. The 'book' clan emblem appeared on a number of bronzes found at the Shaojiapeng site this time, so we believe that the 'book' clan is active in the area. Kong Deming, director of the Anyang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, said.
Archaeologists found a total of 18 house foundations in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, 24 tombs, including a "Medium" type tomb, 4 chema pits, a total of 6 vehicles, and a number of exquisite bronzes, jade tools, bone mussels, and che and horse ware were unearthed.
"The discovery of the 'middle' type of extra-large tomb and 4 carriage and horse pits at the Shaojiapeng site is the first time in the archaeology of the southern district of Yin Xu, and the phenomenon of the remains in it is also extraordinary." Kong Deming said.
Of the 18 Excavated Tombs of the Shang Dynasty, the "Zhong" type tomb was seriously stolen, and only a small number of small artifacts such as pottery and carriage and horse ware were unearthed.
In the rest of the burial tombs, a total of more than 20 sets of bronze ceremonial vessels have been excavated, including Ding, Yao, Jue, etc., and some have inscriptions "books". In addition, a large number of bronze weapons, carriage and horse tools, jade tools, bone mussels and so on have been unearthed. A bronze lid with an inscription of 12 characters has also been unearthed in the site, which is very rare.
In the 4 Shang Dynasty carriage and horse pits, a total of 6 cars were excavated, accompanied by martyrs and martyrs. Car ornaments and horse ornaments are more luxurious, a carriage found in the scepter, some martyrs wear shell charm hats, some martyrs also have shell charms on the head, and there are bronze substrates, gold veneer bubble ornaments hanging on the forehead of the horse.
"This is rare in archaeology in the Anyang area, reflecting the extraordinary status and power of the owner of the carriage." Kong Deming said.
The 18 house foundations form 3 multi-entry courtyards, and the "medium" type tomb is located below the middle courtyard.
"These three courtyards are all north-south oriented, the plane is in the shape of a 'day', and the layout is very clear." Liang Yu, a technician at the Anyang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and a staff member of the Shaojiapeng site archaeological excavation project, said.
According to reports, through anatomy and stratigraphic observation, the founding date of these three courtyards is the late Shang Dynasty, after many restorations and utilization, the abandoned age is before and after the Zhou King destroyed the Shang.
"In particular, the discovery of the steps paved with wooden planks in front of the foundation and the decorative remains of the inner wall of the foundation are the first discoveries in the archaeology of Yin Ruins." Kong Deming said that this is of great value for the study of the construction methods, building materials, layout, interior decoration and so on of the Shang Dynasty.
All kinds of indications show the high specifications and scale of the Shaojiapeng ruins, and what kind of social status do the "Book" people living here have? What kind of social division of labor is involved? What kind of relationship did it have with the Shang Dynasty royal family? These questions still need to be answered through follow-up studies.
"The Shaojiapeng site is rich in cultural connotation, all kinds of relics are relatively completely preserved, and there are many excavated artifacts and rich types, which is of great significance for studying the scope and layout of the Yin Ruins site and the cultural connotation and cultural development sequence of the Shang Dynasty sites in the southern district of Yin Ruins." Kong Deming said.
The Shaojiapeng Shang Dynasty Site Archaeological Excavation Project, in cooperation with the construction of the local shed reform project, was carried out from October 2019 to December 2021 by a joint archaeological team composed of the Anyang Workstation of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Anyang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.
This is a bronze cover excavated from the Shaojiapeng site, and there is an inscription of 12 characters on the inner wall (file photo). Xinhua News Agency (Courtesy of Anyang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology)
Archaeologists cleaned up the carriage and horse pits at the Shaojiapeng site (file photo). Xinhua News Agency (Courtesy of Anyang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology)
This is a bronze cover excavated from the Shaojiapeng site (file photo). Xinhua News Agency (Courtesy of Anyang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology)
This is a Shang Dynasty tomb in the Ruins of Shaojiapeng, in which a large number of bronze artifacts have been excavated (file photo). Xinhua News Agency (Courtesy of Anyang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology)
This is part of the bronze artifacts excavated from the Shaojiapeng site (file photo). Xinhua News Agency (Courtesy of Anyang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology)
This is the burial chamber of the "Medium" type tomb at the Shaojiapeng site (file photo). Xinhua News Agency (Courtesy of Anyang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology)
This is the archaeological excavation site of the Shaojiapeng site (drone photos, file photos). Xinhua News Agency (Courtesy of Anyang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology)
Source: Xinhua Net