Instrumental 3n3n
During the newly restarted excavations at Sanxingdui, a large gold mask was unearthed, which, judging from the restored state, should be an additional decoration covering the bronze god's face.
Gold masks were unearthed from Sanxingdui Pit No. 5
This reminds us of the gold products of the ancient Shu era unearthed at the Jinsha site in Chengdu, two of which appear to be masks of gold products, which are relatively well preserved. Because it is a humanoid face, it is generally referred to simply as the "Golden Mask". One of them was excavated in 2007, with a width of 19.5 cm, a thickness of 0.04 cm, a weight of 46 grams and a gold content of 94.2%. To make a mask, the amount of gold used for 46 grams is not small, which can be used to make the roof of the palace golden.
Gold masks were unearthed at the Jinsha site
The Sands Gold Mask is similar to what sanxingdui has seen, with a giant broad face, rectangular standing ears, and perforated earlobes. Penetrating large eyes, lower eyelid drooping. The long machete-shaped eyebrows are raised and the triangular bridge of the nose is towering. The wide mouth is flat and the jaw is ridged. Looking at this mask is a kind of mighty atmosphere in the thick eyebrows and big eyes, and the peaceful face contains a loving heart. The eyes are pupilless but the look is pleasant, and the mouth is silent but whispered, which is an easy to touch face.
Sands also has a golden man mask that was found slightly earlier, but much smaller. However, similar golden man masks have also been found in Sanxingdui, and some gold man masks are still attached to the bronze heads, and the bronze figures have a golden face, which is more eye-catching. Of course, the gold-faced bronze statue of Sanxingdui exudes a majestic atmosphere, which is obviously different from the one unearthed from Jinsha.
Sanxingdui No. 2 pit unearthed a bronze head of gold mask
Is this a mask? The researchers observed the traces on the back of the gold mask and speculated that the gold mask may have been attached to the bronze head, and the discovery of Sanxingdui is the best proof. If the gold face is used to adhere to the bronze statue, then we have a little shaken in its name, and feel that it cannot be directly called a mask, or can only be called a mask, or called a "covering", it is just a layer of foil covering the surface of the statue, not a mask that can be used alone.
There should be some special purpose in covering the bronze statue with a layer of gold leaf to make the cold human or god face shine. Although it is only a thin layer of decoration, this is an important kind of decoration, not all bronze statues have gold leaf decorated faces, and it is reasonable to think that those covered with gold faces are some kind of special status symbol.
Some people say that the golden-faced statue is supposed to be the appearance of the gods of the ancient Shu period, and some people say that it may be the mask of a wizard, but there is not enough evidence to explain it further, which is a difficult mystery.
When it comes to gold masks, some researchers believe that ancient China does not seem to have a tradition of using gold masks, so they look out of the realm. Some people believe that the earliest gold mask found in the world should be the one that covers the bronze face of the ancient Babylonian Buchaena Nesa. After the death of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh, there was also the custom of using a gold mask, and after the death of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun in the 14th century BC, his mummified head was covered with a gold mask, and the mask was slightly larger than the real face. The pharaonic mask is made of gold leaf and is also inlaid with precious stones and stained glass, with eagle and cobra gods on the forehead and a braided beard silhouette underneath. Such masks are naturally one of the finest art treasures of the ancient world and are housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Egyptian pharaoh gold mask
Bronze statues unearthed at Sanxingdui and Sands also wear gold masks, which makes it natural for some researchers to associate them with Central and West Asian civilizations, or directly as a result of foreign cultural influences.
However, this association seems to be too urgent, because in earlier times, the East did not necessarily have an ancient gold mask like ancient Egypt, or perhaps it was not yet found. Ancient texts record that in ancient times, there was a ritual of exorcising ghosts from the plague, and it was necessary to dance a masquerade dance, which was called "傩". The leader of the dance is called "Fang Xiang Clan", and the New Book of Tang Li Lezhi, according to earlier legends, says "Fang Xiang Clan, Masquerade, Golden Four Eyes". This description was first mentioned in the Zhou Li Xia Guan, which says that "Fang Xiang clan palm bear skin, golden four eyes, Xuan Yi Zhu Pei, Zhi Ge Yang Dun, Shuai Bai Li and Shi Shi Difficult (傩), yi Suo Room beat the epidemic". In mythology, fang xiangshi is the god of exorcising ghosts from plagues, and sometimes serves as a leading god in exorcism rituals. Fang Xiangshi wears a bearskin mask with gold-decorated eyes, and this gold-decorated mask must have first appeared much earlier than the literature records.
Yu Fang Xiangshi reminds us of Sun Wukong again. Regarding the prototype of Sun Wukong in the novel "Journey to the West", Hu Shi holds "outside speaking", Lu Xun holds "local theory", and Ji Xianlin has "mixed blood theory". Some scholars believe that the most important duty of Sun Wukong's role in "Journey to the West" is to expel all kinds of demons and ghosts, which is exactly the same as Fang Xiangshi. Among Sun Wukong's two magic weapons, the fire-eyed golden eye can identify demons and ghosts, which are derived from Fang Xiang's "golden four eyes"; the Ruyi golden hoop stick can drive away evil spirits, derived from the "final sunflower" (exorcism stick) of exorcism, and actually originates from Fang Xiang's clan. Therefore, it is believed that the prototype of Sun Wukong is Fang Xiangshi, and its shape is related to the earliest masquerade.
Puppet Monkey King
Before Sanxingdui and Jinsha Village, the mask culture of the East has long been formed, and the tradition of gold covering may not have been formed, and this tradition does not necessarily come from a distant other side.
Folk wood carving noodles
Sanxingdui and the splendid golden mask of the golden sand once brought hope to the ancient Shu people. On June 9, 2007, the Jinsha Site Museum held a grand ceremony, and the newly excavated gold mask was officially entered into the Jinsha Site Museum, becoming another treasure of the museum. A closer look at this golden mask will give us more imagination and guide our minds back to a time 3,000 years ago.
Sanxingdui's newly unearthed gold mask, we wait for its complete restoration, waiting for it to replay its brilliance.
Selected from the self-authored "The Mystery of the Golden Sands——
The Legend of the Relics of the Ancient Shu Kingdom
Sichuan People's Publishing House, 2010
This article has been slightly revised with new information
Some of the illustrations are taken from the Web
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