10,000 gold, bronze relics buried beneath elephant tusks found in China

Archaeologists exploring the Sanxingdui ruins in southwest China have reported unearthing over 10,000 relics and artifacts, including gold masks, from two newly discovered pits in recent years. The latest finds, as detailed in last month’s Sichuan Cultural Relics journal, were buried beneath hundreds of elephant tusks.

One excavation site, the largest burial pit among the eight in Sanxingdui’s “ritual area,” spanned 19 square meters (205 sq ft) and dated back to between 1117 BC and 1015 BC.

The pit contained bronze vessels with distinctive features linked to the late Shang dynasty, China’s first historically documented royal line from the Bronze Age, the South China Morning Post writes.

Approximately 7,400 artifacts found in ancient city

Approximately 7,400 ceremonial objects have been unearthed, shedding light on a little-known culture that thrived over 3,000 years ago. Interestingly, the Sanxingdui, or “three star mound,” site was initially discovered in the 1920s.

This ancient city is believed to have been the center of the mysterious Shu kingdom, which existed around 4,500 years ago, one of many smaller kingdoms surrounding central China’s Shang dynasty.

No written records have been uncovered to explain the origins of the ancient Shu people or the meaning behind the relics they left.

Sanxingdui drew widespread attention in 1986 when advanced bronze, gold, and jade artifacts, in previously unseen styles, were discovered in the pits, indicating a high level of economic prosperity and technological expertise.

The site in Guanghan, Sichuan Province, was excavated between 2020 and 2022 by researchers from the Sichuan Province Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and Peking University. In 2021, scientists from the Sichuan Institute and Shanghai University unearthed around 2,700 artifacts from a second pit located on a riverbank.

Discoveries include bronze kneeling figure, large mask, and sacred tree

The discoveries included “precious cultural relics” made of bronze, such as a kneeling figure holding a ritual vessel on its head, a large mask, an altar, a sacred tree, and a square vessel with a round mouth.

Among at least four gold masks found, one measured 20 cm (8 inches) wide and was attached to a bronze head. The others were standalone, though they are believed to have originally been affixed to bronze heads as well.

Approximately 420 items made from gold foil were unearthed. Although most were crumpled, researchers identified some as ornaments shaped like fish, feathers, or birds, as well as a long belt.

Scientists noted that many of the large gold artifacts, including the gold masks, exhibited signs of damage, while some gold foil items had been exposed to high temperatures, leading to melting and deformation.

According to the findings presented in a paper published last month, the ancient community placed ivory pieces atop bronze artifacts to fully conceal the bronze items below. Although arranged without strict order, the tusks are generally organized at the same level to prevent any from protruding.