Posted on 07/15/2004 8:56:02 AM PDT by blam
UPDATED: 08:09, July 15, 2004
14 Warring States tombs discovered in Sichuan
After over one month's excavation, the archeologists in Sichuan discovered 14 tombs of the Warring States Period in Yonghe Township, Shimian County, Ya'an City, which is known as "Ancient Corridor of Ethnic Culture" in China. There unearthed over 200 rarely seen funerary objects such as Bashu style iron and bronze swords.
According to the associate-research fellow Leiyu with Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics Research Institute, The Warring States tombs in Yonghe were located on the terrace of the south bank of the Dadu River. With one side backed by the mountain the other three sides are all encircled by water, covering about 30,000 square meters. It had been excavated initially in 1993. In order to go along with the construction of Sichuan Pubugou Hydropower Station, Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics Research Institute carried out this archeological excavation with Shimian Cultural Relics Administration.
The 14 tombs excavated and cleaned are all rectangular shaft pits, which are put in good order. The pit is about 2.5 meters in length and 0.8 meters in breadth. The deceased in the tombs were buried facing upward with limbs straightened. The 200-odd unearthed articles are mainly copper ware, pottery, ironware, silverware, jade article, stone-artifacts and bone-objects. Pottery wares are mainly bowls, jars, cauldrons and spinning wheels etc.; copper wares are bronze buckles, cutting knife, sword, tablet decoration, earring and ring etc.; the iron-wares are mainly swords, rings and so on. Part of the decorative excavated at the same time are mainly necklaces that are composed of bronze decorations and agate beads.
In the Pit No. M17, most of the funerary objects unearthed are placed on the head and body of the deceased. There are two pottery jars upside the head, and a necklace composed of agate beads and other material beads on the head.
In the Pit No. M5, archeologists discovered that most of the funerary objects are placed on the upper part of the body and head of the deceased. They are mainly necklaces stringed with bronze decorations and agate beads on the head; on the upper part of the body, there are mainly decorations stringing together bronze buckles of various sizes, spherical and square ornaments as well as other bronze decorations. Additionally, the archeologists also found two pieces of large bronze tablet decorations, and one of them has four seashells dangling on it. There is also a pottery spinning wheel on each side of the lower limb of the deceased.
Leiyu said that the funerary objects unearthed from Yonghe Tombs are very similar to those excavated from tombs of the mid and late periods of the Warring States in the upper reaches of Minjiang River, west Sichuan, east Sichuan and the northwest regions of Yunnan. Therefore, it can be inferred that Yonghe Tombs can also be dated back to the mid and late periods of the Warring States times.
According to Leiyu, in the Warring States Period and the Qin and Han dynasties there ever lived many tribes in the area of Shimian County. It is the ancient corridor of ethnic culture with frequent cultural exchanges. This excavation is of great significance for further investigating the national composition in the southwest China and the archeological culture of each ethnic national of the country. And it also has important value for the study of the archeological culture in the upper reaches of Dadu River and for the establishment of an archeology system in this region.
By People's Daily Online
It's impressive how these ancient Chinese managed to escape the curse of the tomb robbers.
are you talking about the government??
No, I'm talking about the computer games and the movies.:)
PING
This is a "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" -- Archeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc. PING list.
Please FREEPMAIL me, if you want on or off this list.
I hope they put out some photos.
There is nothing new under the sun.
NFP
Yup. His copper axe moved the copper age back 1,000 years.
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