Massive treasure trove sheds fresh light on ancient Chinese kingdom

A group of Chinese archaeologists recently stumbled upon an ancient treasure trove. The newly discovered trove contains around 13,000 artefacts believed to be from the ancient kingdom of China. According to official media sources, these artefacts date back 3,000 to 4,500 years.

The Chinese archaeologists discovered the treasure trove at the Sanxingdui Ruins site in Sichuan Province, southern China. The Sanxingdui Ruins site was discovered in the 1920s and is counted among the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. The archaeological site is located within Guanghan city, around 60 km from Chengdu, the provincial capital. Sanxingdui Ruins site is spread over an area of 12 sq.km.

According to a report by state news agency, Xinhua, the artefacts discovered contains a large number of bronzewares and goldwares. The remains are claimed to be from the Shu Kingdom, one of the three major kingdoms that ruled China between 220 to 280 AD. These remains were excavated from two of the sacrificial pits, where excavation began in 2020.


The highlight of the recent discovery is a brown box that contains green jade ware found in the 7th pit. The jade ware is a vessel that experts claim to be one of its kind, defining the fine craftsmanship of ancient China. The vessel is supposed to be a treasured possession of the ancient Chinese civilization, though its actual purpose remains unclear. In the 8th pit, various artefacts were found, which include gold masks on bronze heads, a bronze sculpture with a human face and snake body, giant mythical bronze sculptures, bronze dragons, and more.

The excavation was carried out by a collaborative team of archaeologists from a number of academic research institutes. This includes Peking University, Sichuan University, and the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute.