Unmasking Sanxingdui Ruins

Xinhuanet/China News ^ | 5-7-2004 | China View

[farmfriend]

Gods, Graves, Glyphs
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[JimSEA]

Alternative theory: There was a diaspora from coastal southeast asia by a proto-culture (who knows why). Some went out to sea, others went north. The seafarers, not encountering any rival cultures, managed to survive long enough to establish. Those who went north ran into what would eventually be the Chinese, and were absorbed or foundered.

I think you are dead on. The books listed by Blam below are fairly convincing. "Eden in the East" also talks about genetic links between Southeast Asia, polynesia, Bornio and other areas (Middle east, Korea). The dispersal of people from the now submerged coastal Southeast Asia may also account for the highly developed Ban Chiang culture and metallurgy on the Korat Plateau. The Thai Yai will tell you they come from Sichuan. The Thai language group is spread throughout Thailand, South China, Northern Burma, Northeast India, Laos, Northwest Vietnam and Taiwan.

[blam]

"Something about the spiral on the owl figure looks familiar but I can't put my finger on it"

Those exact spirals were painted on each side of Cherchen Man's temples.

[Sam Cree]

"a museum guide pointed out that it was common for ancient cultures to use religion as a form of power - to use fear to control the people."

Some things never change, it seems.

[Fedora]

Fascinating! I've seen them somewhere else, too, though--still trying to remember. . .

[yankeedame]

But what no one could have expected was that this particular discovery would rewrite Chinese history( Oh! Well, that would be a first wouldn't it?) by unearthing a culture contemporary with the first civilizations of China...

( The Chou Dynasty [1,122BC-250BC] is generally considered to be the first "real" civilization in China. "Real" in that we have written works, items and objects that we can trace back to this age. The Chou overthrew the historically-hazy-too-much-lost-in-the-mists-of-time Shang Dynasty. But Chou or Shang or whatever China, up until the year 221BC or so, under the unifying Ch'in Dynasty, was a thousand+ piece quilt of petty kingdoms. So why the amazement at discovering a "contemporary culture"? The place was lousy with them!)

...but that had left no clues in historical records, that seemingly disappeared without a trace and which left artifacts never before discovered elsewhere in China. ( I hate to be the skunk at the picnic but it is just possible - and probable - that this culture was absorbed? )

If interested in ancient China try Ssu-ma Chien ("The Grand Historian of China") who wrote his Chronicals dealing with the history of China from antiquity down through his own time (c.100BC)

[nopardons]

Hancock has written some fascinating books.

[cavan]

Here are many pictures from an exhibit at the Met Museum:

http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={694886CB-280A-11D5-93F2-00902786BF44}

[blam]

Thanks...neat.

[SunkenCiv]

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[SunkenCiv]

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To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.

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[SunkenCiv]

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	Gods Graves Glyphs	Note: this topic is from May 7, 2004. It was added, but never got pinged. Consider this an update, and a ping, which will make sense in a few minutes, after I post a different topic. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
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[colorado tanker]

Thanks for the ping. Fascinating post and thread.

[SunkenCiv]

Turned out I was wrong, I didn’t have a new topic on deck that was related to this. I’ve gotta cut down on the caffeine.