Ancient Chinese gold mask raises a wealth of questions about Shang dynasty culture
- Relic found in royal tomb covered whole face to ensure spirits remained whole, archaeologist says
- Discovery predates Sanxingdui mask that made headlines around the world last year
Archaeologists in central China have unearthed a gold mask dating back at least 3,000 years, the first of its kind to be found from the Shang dynasty (1600BC-1046 BC).
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Archaeologists find treasures from mystery civilisation that could rewrite Chinese history
Gu Wanfa, director of the Zhengzhou Municipal Research Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, said the Henan find indicated that the Sanxingdui artefacts were influenced by Zhongyuan culture, societies that emerged from the Henan region and became the basis of the modern Chinese civilisation.
Henan Broadcasting System quoted Gu as saying that unlike the gold mask unearthed in Sanxingdui, the Shangcheng mask covered the whole face so the spirits could remain whole.
“There has been a saying about bubaijinshen, or an imperishable gold body, since ancient times in China. [The gold mask] proves that the concept had existed since the Shang dynasty,” he was quoted as saying.
Other gold items found in the tombs include leaves and plaques inlaid with turquoise, as well as shell coins and bronze and jade weapons.
Before the Shangcheng finds, only a few gold objects had been uncovered from Shang dynasty sites.
State-run People’s Daily quoted Gu as saying the finds raised new questions such as whether the mask was made locally or exchanged, and whether gold artefacts were developed in central China before spreading southwest.
The discovery also raised the question of what were the real cultural implications of the gold mask in the Shang dynasty, he was quoted as saying.
03:06
Archaeologists find treasures from mystery civilisation that could rewrite Chinese history
