Mammoth News Oriental Today Chief Reporter Liang Xinhui /Wen Yuan Xiaoqiang/Photo
"Sleep for three thousand years, wake up and shock the world." The Sanxingdui ruins, which shocked the world in 1986, "shocked the world again" with brilliant new discoveries. Not long ago, the six newly discovered sacrificial pits at the Sanxingdui site unearthed more than 500 important cultural relics such as fragments of gold masks, bird-shaped gold ornaments, gold leaf, painted bronze heads under the eyes, giant bronze masks, bronze sacred trees, and ivory, which surprised everyone and gave everyone endless reverie.
On April 15th, Wang Wei, a famous archaeologist, the leader of the expert consultation group for archaeological excavations in the "Sacrifice Area" of Sanxingdui, a member of the Faculty of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and the chairman of the Chinese Archaeological Society, visited the Tianzhong Pulpit of Zhengzhou Library for the first time to talk about the archaeological excavations of the Sanxingdui site.
【I】
Sacrificial pit or artifact pit? Was it buried at the same time?
Two archaeological excavations over the past three decades have unearthed a large number of cultural relics that shocked the world. So, these big pits, are they sacrificial pits or artifact pits? Was it buried at the same time?
Some say it was a sacrificial pit because traces of a fire were found. However, some people speculate that it is not like a sacrifice pit, it may be physical evidence of the destruction of sanxingdui, the enemy forces destroyed sanxingdui, and the sacrificial tools were destroyed by the enemy.
"At present, it is difficult to determine whether it is a sacrificial pit or an artifact pit. But one thing is for sure, it wasn't the first scene. Wang Wei said that the direction of pits 1 to 6 is basically the same, and pits 7 and 8 are vertical, which should indicate that the age of pits 7 and 8 is likely to be the last era of Sanxingdui civilization, and may also be the earliest.
So, who buried the artifacts in these pits?
"Some people say that it was buried by Sanxingdui people, such as moving the capital. But why should the capital be buried in these things, according to the reason, the capital can also continue to be used. Why buried? This is still a mystery. But it does not rule out the change of religious belief, the use of these things, and the opening of another set of sacrifices or belief systems. ”
【II】
What is the relationship between Sanxingdui and Sands?
It is worth noting that the Sanxingdui site and the Jinsha site are both distributed in the Chengdu Plain, and archaeological findings prove that gold masks are popular in both places, and the masks have the pattern of fish and birds bows and arrows. At the same time, large amounts of ivory were unearthed in the pits of both sites. In addition, through the pottery excavated from the two places, it can be seen that there is a clear inheritance relationship.
While there are many similarities, there are also significant differences between the two. For example, a large number of bronze figures and bronze masks have been excavated from the Sanxingdui site, while there are no similar discoveries at the Jinsha site.
Wang Wei believes that the two sites are connected in chronology, and this is the other. The Jinsha site was formed on the basis of inheriting the Sanxingdui culture and absorbing factors from other cultures, but it is different from Sanxingdui in terms of faith, and it is not excluded that the rights of different power groups have changed.
【III】
Does Sanxingdui have anything to do with overseas civilizations?
A series of cultural relics excavated from the Sanxingdui site, especially bronze figures and bronze masks, are obviously different from the bronzes of the Xia and Shang dynasties represented by the Central Plains civilization, so many netizens believe that this is an extraterritorial civilization, and even think that it is a masterpiece of "aliens".
"I think that exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations are very normal and are the driving force for the development of human civilization. The metallurgy of the Xia-Shang Dynasty was produced under the influence of West Asian civilization. Wang Wei said that at present, it cannot be ruled out that foreign civilization factors have had an impact on sanxingdui culture, such as gold masks and golden wands, as well as the emphasis on gold.
"However, to argue that there has been close exchanges between the two cultures or civilizations, I personally believe that several conditions should be met: First, the time is basically the same, and there should be no difference of hundreds of years or even longer. The second is in terms of distance, and the distance between the two should be close. If it is far away, an intermediate link should be found. Third, the two should be so similar, not seeming, that it is difficult to think that they were invented alone. Wang Wei said that the exchanges between Sanxingdui and the Xia-Shang Dynasty met the above conditions, such as Yubi, Yuqun and Ge, which are the best evidence. The argument on whether Sanxingdui has accepted the influence of foreign civilization should also meet these conditions. At present, there seems to be no conclusive evidence in these aspects that can prove that Sanxingdui has been influenced by foreign civilizations.
【IV】
Where did the large number of tusks and sea shells unearthed come from?
In the archaeological excavations of Sanxingdui, a large number of ivory and sea shells were unearthed. Many people believe that this should be related to the Indian Ocean.
"The discovery of ivory and sea shells does not mean that Sanxingdui is related to India or elsewhere." Wang Wei explained that ivory, with the climatic conditions here at that time, it was completely normal to have elephants living. In that period, the climate of the Yellow River Basin was equivalent to today's Yangtze River Basin, and the climate of the Yangtze River Basin at that time was equivalent to the climate conditions in the south of China today.
As for the sea shells, Yin Ruins also unearthed a large number of sea shells, which basically belong to the same period as the sea shells in several pits in Sanxingdui. Studies have shown that the sea shells of Yin Ruins do not come from the Indian Ocean, but from the East China Sea and the South China Sea. So, whether sanxingdui's sea shells are from Yin Ruins or from the Indian Ocean should be answered by scholars who study shellfish. Wang Wei said that as an archaeologist, he will continue to pay attention to this issue and pay attention to finding relevant clues.
【5】
What is the role of bronze figures and faces?
In the Sanxingdui No. 1 and No. 2 pits, bronze masks, bronze Da Liren, golden scepters, bronze sacred trees were excavated, and in this archaeological excavation, a large number of bronze masks also appeared. So, what is the role of these bronze figures and faces? Was it really a human reaction at the time?
Wang Wei said that the unearthed portraits wore masks and were not real figures. It cannot be said that seeing the mask is the real face of the person at that time. Those bronze villains who did not wear masks may have been the real faces of people at that time.
These bronze figures should be a series of gods, the reason why the size of the appearance is different, because the gods also have different status, the mythical world is a reflection of the real world, there are kings, bureaucrats, and commoners in the real world, and the mythological world also has a similar reflection.
Wang Wei also revealed the latest news: the large bronze mask excavated from the Sanxingdui No. 2 pit, 65 centimeters high, 138 centimeters wide, weighing more than 100 kilograms, left a deep impression. Today, one piece has been unearthed from Pit No. 3, which should be larger than the one unearthed in Pit No. 2. As for how big it is, it is currently being cleaned up. And the longitudinal eyes on the bronze mask must be a deified image, because the people in reality will certainly not look like this.
【VI】
Did the people at Sanxingdui and Sands use text?
Writing is an important symbol of entering the era of civilization, and in the field of archaeology, it attaches great importance to relevant written information. Anyang Yin Ruins unearthed a large number of oracle bones, for Sanxingdui, one of the topics that everyone is most concerned about is whether there can be relevant written records, and whether Sanxingdui and Jinsha people use words?
"I don't think it's very likely that sanxingdui people use text. This is because, until the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the writing of the Bashu region was still a symbol. Wang Wei said, of course, this needs to be further archaeological excavations, and it is necessary to carry out a multidisciplinary series of studies on the excavated cultural relics.
Not long ago, Wang Wei came to the sanxingdui archaeological site and witnessed the excavation process with his own eyes. So, have there been new discoveries recently?
"Yesterday, I called my colleagues in Sichuan to find out about the latest archaeological excavations, but I may have disappointed everyone, and there is not much progress now. After all, archaeology is a delicate work. Wang Wei said.
【VII】
Archaeologists deliberately lower the age of Sanxingdui?
For the age of Sanxingdui, the time relationship between Sanxingdui and the Xia Shang Dynasty, different voices appeared.
"Some people say that archaeologists deliberately lowered the age of Sanxingdui, which was originally 4600 years, and had to say that it was later than the Xia Shang Dynasty, in order to concoct the illusion of the advanced Xia Shang Dynasty. There is no truth to this statement. Wang Wei explained that from the activity of people to the final decline, Sanxingdui can be divided into three large historical periods.
Wang Wei said that the first phase is the Baodun culture, which is about 4600 to 3600 years ago; the second phase is the Sanxingdui culture, which is about 3600-3000 years ago, which is roughly the same as the Yin Ruins of the Shang Dynasty; the third phase is the Jinsha Twelve Bridges culture, which is about 3000-2700 years ago, and then enters the Shu kingdom of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.
"So not being able to see the copper man is associated with 4600." Wang Wei said.
【VIII】
Where did the silk in Shudi come from?
In the no. 4 pit of the Sanxingdui site of this excavation, archaeologists detected the presence of silk protein, which indicates that silk was buried in the pit. In some classics, there was a legend that the first generation of king silkworm cong of the Shu kingdom taught Shu to raise silkworm reeling.
So, where did the Silk of Shudi, including Sanxingdui, come from?
"According to the latest archaeological findings, silkworm reeling is likely to be an invention of the ancestors in the Central Plains." Wang Wei provided four pieces of evidence: first, as early as 1926, archaeologist Mr. Li Ji excavated half a silkworm cocoon in Xiyin Village, Xia County, Shanxi Province; second, at the site of the Gongyi Double Locust Tree in Gongyi, Henan, which has just won the top ten new archaeological discoveries in 2020, bone carved silkworms were excavated; third, fragments of silk fabrics were unearthed at the Qingtai site in Xingyang, Henan, not far from the site of the Gongyi Double Locust Tree; fourth, last year, four stone silkworm pupae more than 6,000 years old were unearthed in Shicun, Xia County, Shanxi Province.
Wang Wei believes that one of the sources of Sichuan's Neolithic ancestors was the Ancestors of yangshao culture who migrated to southern Gansu through the Min Mountains and along the Min River to the Chengdu Plain. Therefore, it is not excluded that they brought the silkworm reeling technology of the Yellow River Basin to the Chengdu Plain.
【IX】
What is the relationship between the ancient Shu civilization represented by Sanxingdui and the Xia Shang Dynasty in the Central Plains?
What is the relationship between the ancient Shu civilization represented by the ancient city of Sanxingdui and the "sacrifice pit" and the Xia Shang Dynasty in the Central Plains?
Wang Wei believes that the Sanxingdui culture may have been influenced by the Central Plains twice.
"The Sanxingdui culture was influenced by the Erlitou culture in the early days, such as the discovery of ceremonial utensils composed of jade zhang, jade ge, and jade knives, in addition to jade objects such as jade and jade bi. In the late Sanxingdui culture and the Jinsha Twelve Bridges culture, it was more influenced by the Shang Dynasty culture, such as the spread of bronze casting technology. Therefore, the ancient Shu civilization represented by the ancient city of Sanxingdui and the 'sacrifice pit' had close ties with the Central Plains Xia Shang Dynasty, and accepted the strong influence of the metallurgy of the Xia Shang Dynasty and the Central Plains ritual system represented by bronze ceremonial vessels and jade ceremonial vessels. At the same time, he maintained a distinct character in his faith. ”
Some archaeologists believe that during the Xia Shang Dynasty, the Central Plains civilization and surrounding civilizations were like the moon and the stars, but in Wang Wei's view, in fact, there were many civilizations around the Xia Shang Dynasty, and the surrounding culture was also influenced by the technology of the Xia Shang Dynasty such as metallurgy and etiquette, and even in Hong Kong and Vietnam, Yazhang was excavated, showing the core status of the Central Plains in the late Xia Dynasty.
"The ancient Shu civilization, which was jointly formed by the Sanxingdui culture and the Subsequent Jinsha Twelve Bridges culture, is an important part of the pluralistic and integrated Chinese civilization and a very bright star in the starry sky of Chinese civilization." Wang Wei said.