Massive treasure trove found in China

Beijing: Chinese archaeologists have stumbled on an ancient treasure trove discovering a record collection of about 13,000 artefacts stated to be that of a mysterious kingdom believed to be dating back some 4,500 to 3,000 years, official media reported.

Archaeologists’ stunning discovery of a treasure trove of exquisite bronze, gold and jade wares, including at least 10 bronzewares, were recently unearthed for the first time in the history of human civilisation at the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Xinhua news agency reported Originally discovered in the late 1920s, the Sanxingdui Ruins have been dubbed as one of the world’s greatest archaeological findings of the 20th century.

Located in the city of Guanghan, the ruins covering an area of 12 square km are believed to be the remnants of the Shu Kingdom, dating back some 4,500 to 3,000 years. Around the pits, archaeologists also found ash ditches, architectural foundations and small sacrificial pits, and cultural relics, as well as bamboo, reeds, soybeans, and cattle and boars.

A team of archaeologists from Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute, Peking University, Sichuan University and other research institutions has carried out the excavation of six sacrificial pits at this site.