In what was once a settlement in the new stone period in Anhui Province, eastern China, dating back 5,800 to 5,300 years, Chinese archaeologists are busy digging up a series of antiques, mainly jewelry, from the ground.
According to a press release from the Anhui Provincial Archaeological Institute, dozens of tombs containing items buried in stone and pearls have been discovered.
One of the newly excavated pearls - the unique dragon head carving - has become the focus of archaeological research.
Global Times quoted ancient art researcher Qian Xiaogang as saying that compared to the intricately carved pearl artifacts discovered in the relics of the Luong Chu culture in Zhejiang province, the pearl relics at the Gia Than Mausoleum relic site are more diverse and represent an ancient ancient Chinese system of rituals.
It is worth noting that the ruins of the Jiaxin Mausoleum are very important for the study of the origin of Chinese civilization because the "ant long-standing creativity" of this site is similar to what was found in the Tam Tinh Doi site.
The big excavation
Before the latest excavation of the donation pits, Chinese archaeologists had excavated about 1.6 million square meters in more than 5 excavations at the Gia Than Mausoleum site. This is part of a project to search for the origin of Chinese civilization in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
Among the more than 400 new relics excavated from the offering pits are many pearls, stone tools and sophisticated ceramic vases.
Ngoc Bich is one of the most important discoveries at the Gia Than Mausoleum site. The pottery excavated was mainly broken small decorations.
In a recent excavation, archaeologists have found the largest piece of stone - a semicircular decoration - excavated at this site to date and another piece of stone with a completely unique shape.
Unique pearls show sophisticated skills. One end of the pearl is carved with a dragon head and the other end is made of thin gold.
The excavation of dragon head carving pearls and other special pearls is of great significance for the study of the prehistoric pearl system in China and its impact on future ceremonial systems.
According to researchers, this discovery is an important event in the archaeological history of the Gia Than Mausoleum site.
In previous excavations, archaeologists have discovered a pearl pig. It is about 72 cm long, 32 cm wide and weighs 88 kg.
Ceramics and stones have also been found in large quantities at this location. Ceramics have a wide variety of shapes and functions such as cooking utensils and weapons, reflecting the social life of people living during the new stone period downstream of the Yangtze River.
Creativity from the past
Qian noted that, including the large, semi-circular pearl necklaces, more than 20 types of pearl relics have been found at Gia Than Mausoleum.
Although the techniques used to make pearl relics were still a bit rough, all of them reflect the pearl culture as part of the ancient ancient ritual system of China. Many of these relics are daily items, not only a ceremonial tool, but also a tool of production, such as the table.
Like the golden mask in Tam Tinh Doi, the Gia Than Mausoleum also has some Totem made of pearls that are very mysterious such as the shape of a pearl man and a dancing bud.
The jewelry culture of the new stone period in China is one of the important parts of the origin of Chinese civilization and can reflect the creativity of ancient China.
Notable sophisticated pearls appeared in China after 2,500 BC in the Luong Chu culture of the southern Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces in the north.
The items that were not torn clearly show that they were mainly rituals.
Such relics show the ancient creation of the Chinese. Whether the artifacts were born from the pure imagination of the people at that time or influenced by some other cultures, they were all important questions for the study of Chinese civilization, and with each new discovery, the answer continued to become clearer.
