The gold funeral mask was found in the tomb of an ancient noble of the Shang Dynasty. It is thought to be more than 3,000 years old.Image credit: Photo provided to China News Service
Posted on 09/26/2022 9:26:17 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
A gold funeral mask, thought to be more than 3,000 years old, has been discovered in the tomb of an ancient noble in the city of Zhengzhou in central China.
It's one of the oldest gold objects ever found in central China, as contemporary treasures tend to be crafted from bronze and jade, raising questions about possible links to other early Chinese states where gold was more common.
The gold mask is 7.2 inches (18.3 centimeters) long and 5.7 inches (14.5 cm) wide — large enough to cover the entire face of an adult...
Finds from three other ancient Chinese archaeological sites were also revealed at the news conference, but the gold mask is arguably the most striking.
The newfound noble's tomb dates to the Shang Dynasty, which ruled in the Yellow River valley from about 1600 B.C. to 1046 B.C. — the earliest dynasty ever recorded in China...
The tomb, which covers an area of more than 108,000 square feet (10,000 square meters), contains more than 200 other artifacts... including ornate objects of bronze and jade, such as daggers, axes, wine vessels, smoking pipes and goblets. Archaeologists also found plaques inlaid with turquoise and coins made from shells...
One possibility is that the gold had been found in relatively small amounts at Panlongcheng... and that it had been worked by local artisans with the techniques they used for other metals...
But another possibility is that the gold was brought from farther afield as an exotic metal, which could indicate a trade network existed during the Shang period between the Yellow River valley and gold-producing regions, such as the Yangtze River valley farther south, he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
The gold funeral mask was found in the tomb of an ancient noble of the Shang Dynasty. It is thought to be more than 3,000 years old.Image credit: Photo provided to China News Service
the rest of the Shang keyword, sorted:
Must have made a great poker player.
There is one of those black and white rectangles that are found nearby many really old archeological artifacts. I guess the aliens left those things everywhere. I wonder why and what are they for?
I was expecting a Pelosi halloween mask.
Nothing resembling the Pumaman control mask.
I thought her face *was* the Pelosi halloween mask. ;^)
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