3,000-Year-Old Gold Mask, Silk Linked to Enigmatic Civilization Found in China

[Judi Lynn]

The state of Shu left behind few written records. A trove of 500 newly excavated objects may offer insights on the mysterious kingdom



Fragment of a gold mask unearthed at Sanxingdui, an archaeological site in southwest China (Photo by Shen Bohan / Xinhua via Getty Images)

By Isis Davis-Marks
SMITHSONIANMAG.COM
MARCH 23, 2021

Archaeologists have uncovered a trove of 3,000-year-old artifacts—including fragments of a gold mask—at Sanxingdui, an excavation site in China’s Sichuan province.

As Stephen Chen reports for the South China Morning Post, the researchers, who began digging at the site in 2019, found more than 500 objects, most of which were crafted out of gold, bronze, jade and ivory.

Experts are unsure who made the artifacts, but they speculate that the cache’s creators belonged to the Shu state, a highly skilled civilization conquered by the neighboring state of Qin in 316 B.C. Because the people of Shu left behind few written records, notes Oscar Holland for CNN, historians’ knowledge of their culture is limited.

A major highlight of the find is a 0.6-pound fragment of a gold mask that may have been worn by a priest during religious ceremonies, reports the Global Times’ Chen Shasha. About 84 percent pure gold, the piece likely weighed close to one pound in its entirety, making it one of the heaviest gold masks from that time period discovered in China to date. The Sanxingdui team found the mask, along with an array of other ornate items, in six rectangular sacrificial pits.

More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-uncover-3000-year-old-chinese-artifacts-180977294/