It looked like this...
Posted on 10/31/2005 4:41:39 PM PST by blam
Archaeologists find oldest Chinese dragon totem
www.chinaview.cn 2005-10-31 18:43:01
ZHENGZHOU, Oct. 31 (Xinhuanet) -- A 3,700-year-old antique in the shape of a dragon, made up of over 2,000 pieces of turquoise, is believed by many Chinese scholars as the oldest Chinese dragon totem.
The antique was discovered in the Erlitou relics site in YanshiCity of central China's Henan Province. Many Chinese scholars believe that Erlitou is the site of the capital of the Xia Dynasty(2,100 BC-1,600 BC), China's first dynasty.
"Although some dragon-shaped relics older than the antique in Erlitou have been uncovered in other places, such as the 7,000-year-old jade sculpture showing a dragon with a pig head anda tight-lipped snout, found in a Neolithic site in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia, they had no direct connection with the ancient civilization that originated in central China," said Chinese archaeologist Du Jinpeng.
"Only the dragon discovered in central China had a direct link with the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties and came down in one continuous line," said Du, a researcher with the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
"Therefore, the dragon antique in Erlitou is the lineal origin of the dragon totem of the Chinese nation," Du said.
The dragon totem, 70.2 cm long, looks like a python. It is madeup of more than 2,000 pieces of turquoise, each only 0.1 cm thin and 0.2 to 0.9 cm long.
"It's very rare to find such delicate dragon-shaped relics during that period. And it is of great historic, artistic and scientific value," said Du.
Xu Hong, discoverer of the dragon totem, said the antique was excavated from a tomb of a high-ranking noble in the palace area of Erlitou. The turquoise dragon was found between the shoulder and the hipbone of the owner of the tomb.
Du Jinpeng inferred that the totem should have been embedded on something like a mace used in sacrificial rites. The corpse in the tomb might have belonged to an official in charge of the rites.
"The owner of the tomb must have been put in an important position by the king of the Xia Dynasty, since he was buried in the palace area and allowed to take the mace to the other world after he died," said Du.
Dragon images have also been found in other sites, such as pottery and a bronze tablet, at the site of Erlitou. Some of the dragons look like snakes, but others are more like today's dragon image with bird's claws and fish's fins.
Experts say the ancient Chinese nation began to form at that time with Erlitou as a center. All the relics with dragon images were found in the palace area. The remains of a bronze foundry and the site for sacrificial rites, which had a close connection with the king and the nobles of the Xia Dynasty.
"It shows that dragon had become a symbol of royal rights and social status at that time, and the concept was passed on from generation to generation for several thousands years in Chinese history," Du added. End item
GGG Ping.
It looked like this...
Turquoise model of "dragon" discovered at the Erlitou Xia-Shang palace site, Yanshi, Henan province.
CHINA HERITAGE NEWSLETTER - LIST OF THE TOP TEN ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS OF 2004.
The Erlitou walled palace compound is the oldest "palace city" site found to date in China. Here archaeologists discovered the remains of tamped earthen walls, chariot tracks, turquoise objects and a turquoise workshop. The excavators estimate that the palace grounds cover more than 108,000 sq m, and are of a size appropriate to the capital city of a state. The ruts created by chariots are the oldest yet discovered by Chinese archaeologists, pushing back the history of two-wheeled vehicles in China to the early period of Erlitou culture. This is significant because it challenges the view that the chariot was introduced to China from the West.
Excellent. Thanks for the addition.
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I'm on to you SirChas. I suspected this photo might be included and as such I prepared myself. This time it only trigger a mild gag reflex resulting in a just the slightest taste of vomit. Serious improved from what happened a few months ago... eewwww.
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