On September 9, the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology announced the phased results of archaeological excavations at the Sanxingdui site. Following the shocking world with the newly unearthed and restored mysterious cultural relics of the ancient Shu Kingdom half a year ago, more than 500 cultural relics have been unearthed at the Sanxingdui site, including complete gold masks, unprecedented bronze "altars", and national treasures such as the sacred tree pattern jade.
Sanxingdui newly unearthed complete gold mask Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Xi photographed
At present, the excavation of the No. 3 "Sacrifice Pit" is nearing the end, the Excavation of the No. 4 "Sacrifice Pit" has ended, the No. 5 and No. 6 "Sacrifice Pit" will be extracted to the laboratory "dissection" due to its small area and shallow depth, and the No. 7 and No. 8 "Sacrifice Pit" has just reached the cultural relics layer, and large and medium-sized bronzes, ivory, jade tools, etc. are covered with the entire "Sacrifice Pit", and the canine teeth are staggered and stacked, which is breathtaking.
The newly unearthed cultural relics once again prove that the imagination, creativity and innovative spirit of the ancient Chinese people are far beyond our imagination.
Through this excavation, the experts basically clarified the spatial structure of the sacrifice area of the Sanxingdui site and deepened their understanding of the overall settlement structure of the Sanxingdui site. In addition to the 8 "sacrificial pits" that have been discovered, there are also large trench-type buildings, small circular pits, rectangular grooves and other relics closely related to the sacrifice activities, which are clearly the sacrificial areas of the Sanxingdui site.
1. Discover the most complete gold mask available
At present, a total of 729 artifact fragments and specimens of various types have been excavated from the No. 3 "Sacrifice Pit" soil filling. A total of 478 pieces (groups) of relatively complete artifacts and 141 pieces of fragments. Among them, the more complete artifacts include 293 bronzes, 45 jades, 100 ivory, 7 gold, 2 bone carvings, 2 stone tools, 26 sea shells (groups) and 3 unknown materials.
Among the newly unearthed artifacts in the "Sacrifice Pit" No. 3, a gold mask as thin as a butterfly wing stands out. The gold mask is 37.2 cm wide, 16.5 cm high, weighs about 100 grams, the eyebrows are hollowed out, the ears are contoured, the nose bridge is high, the mouth is large and slightly open, the shape is majestic and sacred, and it is the most complete gold mask excavated in the archaeological excavations of Sanxingdui.
Copper twisted head kneeling portrait file picture
"We speculate that this gold mask is part of the face that covers the bronze human head, rather than an artifact used independently." Ran Honglin, director of the Sanxingdui Archaeological Research Institute of the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, introduced that the facial features of the gold mask are consistent with the bronze human head image previously excavated by Sanxingdui, and the size is close to the bronze human head.
In January this year, Sanxingdui unearthed fragments of gold masks weighing about 286 grams, and although it only had "half a face", it still held the record of the heaviest gold masks unearthed by Sanxingdui. Archaeologists revealed that two other gold masks to be repaired have been unearthed from the Sanxingdui site, and as follow-up work is carried out, there will be more "golden" miracles in Sanxingdui.
"The bronze-topped statue of a kneeling figure unearthed from the No. 3 'Sacrifice Pit' is composed of a combination of the upper part of the bronze statue and the lower part of the figure." Ran Honglin said that the copper altars in the pit, the sacred tree pattern jade and other utensils, with unique themes and rich details, are unprecedented, and are the material embodiment of the spiritual world of the ancient Shu people, providing important materials for relevant research.
The archaeological analysis of plants and animals related to the No. 3 "Sacrifice Pit" is being carried out in an orderly manner by Shanghai University, Chengdu Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and other units. The Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology also found textile residues on artifacts such as the bronze mask of the No. 3 "Sacrifice Pit".
Up to now, archaeologists have cleaned 68 bronzes, 32 ivory, 1 gold and 3 jade from the No. 3 "sacrifice pit", and collected 721 samples.
As the excavation of no. 3 "sacrifice pit" enters the final stage, the formation order of the accumulation in the pit from late to early is gradually revealed, namely: the soil filling layer, the ash layer in the north of the pit, the ivory layer, the ivory and the mixed layer of artefacts. The soil fill layer can be divided into three layers, which are generally horizontally distributed, and no obvious dumping direction is seen. The ivory layer, ivory and mixed layer of artefacts are all over the pit.
In the next step, archaeologists will promote the research work of No. 3 "Sacrifice Pit" from three aspects: first, complete the extraction of the remaining buried artifacts and clarify the relationship between the ash accumulation in the north and other artifacts; second, carry out fine excavations of the bottom of the pit and the wall of the pit to provide a basis for restoring the formation process of the sacrificial pit; third, fully open the collation of excavation materials and the compilation of reports and catalogues.
Left: Bronze Sacred Tree Right: Jade With the Pattern of the Sacred Tree engraved xinhua news agency
2. Discover an unprecedented bronze figure
At present, all the relics of the No. 4 "Sacrifice Pit" have been extracted, and a total of 79 complete artifacts and 1073 fragments have been excavated. The complete vessels include 9 pieces of jade, all from buried accumulations, including 2 pieces of Zhen, 1 piece of Zhen, 4 pieces of chiseling, 1 piece of Bi, 1 piece of Gong, 21 pieces of bronze, 47 pieces of ivory, all from buried accumulation; 2 pieces of pottery, all excavated from the ash layer, and all of them are pointed bottom cups.
No. 4 "Sacrifice Pit" unearthed 3 bronze kneeling portraits with twisted heads, the size and shape of the portraits are the same, as if they belong to the same bronze ware. The portrait is in a kneeling posture, the body is slightly tilted to the left front, the head is slightly chin and twisted to the right side of the body, the hands are raised in a semi-"closed" shape in the left front of the body, the knees are on the ground, the front feet of the feet are on the ground, and the back feet are raised. The center of gravity of the figure's body is stuck between the left shoulder and the palms of both hands, showing a strong sense of weight.
"The portraits are all new discoveries in Sanxingdui archaeology in terms of shape and ornamentation, which provide materials for the study of Sanxingdui's bronze casting technology and art, religious beliefs and social systems, and cultural exchanges with the surrounding areas." Ran Honglin said.
As for the dating of the No. 4 "Sacrifice Pit", its carbon 14th research was jointly carried out by the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the Archaeological Research Center of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, and the Joint Laboratory of Archaeological Chronology of the College of Archaeology and Literature of Peking University. At present, a total of 6 carbon 14th century data have been obtained, and the chronological distribution range has been preliminarily determined. The age of the No. 4 "sacrifice pit" is most likely within the range of 3148 to 2966, which belongs to the late Shang Dynasty.
Archaeologists also found a pile of twine next to a bronze vessel in the ash layer of the No. 4 "Sacrifice Pit", which was scientifically analyzed and determined to be a silk residue of plain tissue structure. This is the first time that silk residues have been found in a new round of archaeological excavations of sacrificial pits.
Sichuan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and Shanghai University conducted phytosilicate sample analysis of ash accumulation in No. 4 "Sacrifice Pit". According to the observation, analysis and identification of 32 samples, the phytosilicate content did not show regular changes at different depths in the samples of continuous cross-sections, and the plant remains contained in the ash layer were mainly subfamily bamboo, and a small number of reeds, thrush subfamily, sedge family, palm family and some hardwoods that were difficult to identify to families, genera and species were also found.
In addition, Northwest University extracted a large number of pottery residue samples at the excavation site of The No. 4 "Sacrifice Pit"; the University of Science and Technology of China also conducted sampling, and the relevant residue detection and analysis research is being carried out in an orderly manner; Beijing Union University conducted a susceptibility test on the pit wall and extracted firing temperature detection samples at the ash layer and the pit floor; Chengdu University of Technology studied the soil filling and the soil sample microstructure of the pit bottom; and the microbial analysis research conducted by Sichuan University has also been carried out in an orderly manner.
Up to now, a total of 5 bronzes, 24 ivory, 1 gold and 4 jades excavated from the No. 4 "Sacrifice Pit" have been cleaned up, 832 samples have been collected, 715 have been sent for inspection, and the samples sent for inspection include 209 organic residue analysis, 50 component tests, 35 carbon 14 dating, 212 soil susceptibility, 126 microorganisms, and 21 identification components.
As the earliest field archaeological unit to end excavations at this stage, in the future, the No. 1 work module where the No. 4 "Sacrifice Pit" is located will be used for the experimental platform for the early protection and research of cultural relics unearthed in the humid environment in the south, and prepare for the display of later achievements and the comparative study of on-site soil sites. In addition, after entering the indoor data collation stage, excavation reports and multidisciplinary research reports will be published one after another.
3. Typical cultural relics are dazzling
To the delight of archaeologists, in addition to the discoveries of the No. 3 "Sacrifice Pit" and the No. 4 "Sacrifice Pit", a large number of cultural relics have also been unearthed from the No. 5 to No. 8 "Sacrifice Pit".
The No. 5 "Sacrifice Pit" has been prepared to extract the accumulation in the pit back to the laboratory, and it is expected to complete the field cleaning work by the end of September and transfer to the laboratory for fine cleaning. Up to now, No. 5 Pit has cleaned up a total of 19 pieces of gold, 2 pieces of jade, 2 pieces of bronze, and nearly 300 pieces of ivory carving fragments, etc., which are more typical of gold masks, bird-shaped gold ornaments, olive-shaped jade, round gold leaf, jade beads and cloud thunder pattern ivory carvings.
The no. 6 "sacrifice pit" has completed the field excavation work on July 19, and the "wooden box" and the wood on the west side of the pit have been extracted back to the laboratory as a whole, and the archaeological center of the laboratory of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences is responsible for carrying out indoor excavations. Up to now, the No. 6 "sacrifice pit" has only unearthed two pieces of wood including "wooden box" and 1 piece of jade knife, but the "wooden box" has not been cleaned, so whether there are more cultural relics unearthed needs to be clarified.
No. 7 "Sacrifice Pit" has been cleaned up the soil accumulation, exposing the buried accumulation, including the top layer of ivory and other materials below it, the number of ivory is expected to be nearly 200, the cultural relics that can be confirmed include jade stone ge, zhang, yao and bronze human head, collar bi, turtle back hanging ornaments, etc., is currently carrying out ivory extraction work, it is expected to extract all the ivory in October and begin to extract buried cultural relics. At present, the No. 7 "Sacrifice Pit" has unearthed nearly 1 piece of bronze, 3 pieces of gold, 5 pieces of jade, 80 pieces of ivory (including broken ivory), and typical cultural relics include bronze heads with black color, fish-shaped gold leaf pieces, etc.
No. 8 "Sacrifice Pit" has been cleaned up the soil accumulation, ash accumulation, exposing the ivory and buried cultural relics under the ivory, the number of ivory is expected to be nearly 200, the cultural relics that can be confirmed include the bronze human head, copper mask, copper statue, copper square, copper altar, copper god beast, copper top statue, jade zhang, jade ge, jade collar bi, stone chime, etc., is currently carrying out ivory extraction work, is expected to extract the whole ivory in October and begin to extract buried cultural relics. At present, the approximately complete instruments extracted include 54 bronzes, 349 gold objects, 199 jades, 34 stone tools, 66 ivory extracted (including broken ivory), and typical cultural relics include small bronze convex bird figures, gold masks, jade zhangs, stone chimes, etc.
While the amazing cultural relics have been unearthed, Sichuan Province attaches great importance to the protection of the Sanxingdui site. Recently, the "Sichuan Sanxingdui Ruins Protection Regulations" has been officially implemented, the protection and management of Sanxingdui ruins will adhere to the principle of protection first, rescue first, rational utilization, and strengthening management, adhere to the principle of attaching equal importance to the protection of cultural relics and the surrounding environmental protection, and coordinate the relationship between site protection and local economic and social development and improvement of people's livelihood.
"We attach great importance to the restoration and protection of the site, and believe that in the near future, the public will be able to see these amazing cultural relics in the museum and feel the charm of Sanxingdui culture." Ran Honglin said.