At the famous site of Sanxingdui, Chinese archaeologists have discovered an ancient workshop for stone and jade crafting, along with a series of valuable artifacts.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the stone and jade workshop at Sanxingdui dates back over 3,400 years and is part of a meticulously planned ancient city located in present-day Sichuan Province, China.
Sanxingdui site in Sichuan – China – (Photo: XINHUA)
The newly found artifacts within this ancient structure include raw jade and stone materials, waste materials, fragments, and finished products, indicating a relatively complete model of a craft workshop.
“The discovery of this workshop has shed light on several mysteries, such as the origins of the large quantities of stone and jade materials found at Sanxingdui, the techniques used to craft them, the production processes, and the related distribution methods,” said Ran Honglin, the archaeologist in charge of the area.
This discovery also helps explain the large number of stone and jade artifacts previously found in the region, showcasing distinctive features in crafting techniques.
Some jade artifacts found in the ancient “jewelry workshop” – (Photo: XINHUA).
The Sanxingdui site was discovered in the late 1920s in Guanghan City, Sichuan Province.
Numerous excavations have been conducted, with a major excavation series in 2022 identifying over 400 additional sites within the site, including high building foundations, ash pits, and several craft workshops.
This has raised the total number of individual relics found within the site cluster to 60,000. The excavations from 2022 also yielded over 4,000 artifacts, including ceramics, jade, and stone items.
Sanxingdui is believed to be the ruins of an ancient city of the Shu Kingdom, spanning 12 km2 and dating back approximately 4,500 to 3,000 years.
The Shu Kingdom, with its capital in Chengdu, was defeated by the Qin Dynasty in 391 BC.
According to Chinese archaeologists, discoveries at Sanxingdui reveal the splendid and magnificent culture of this ancient kingdom, which is crucial for understanding the full development of Chinese civilization during that period.
