Jinsha site

Pottery found in Huangzhongcun dates the Jinsha settlement to the late Shang and Western Zhou dynasties.[6]^: 252 Simple jars with small bases and pointed-bottom sauces were the most common pottery found. This undecorated and plain design is distinct to the Shi'erqiao culture in this period.[6]^: 267[10]^{: 374–375} Other pottery found includes the pointed-bottom cups and tall-beaked vessel lids.[6]^: 267 When considering the scale and complexity of the site, Jinsha emerged as the capital after the decline of Sanxingdui.[6]^: 271[7]^: 12[11]^: 480[10]^: 368

Cultural artefacts made of gold, bronze, jade, stone, ivory and bone were discovered at Locus Mei Yuan.[6]^{: 255–256}[7][12] Situated on the southern banks of the Modi River, the locality covers 22 hectares.[6]^: 255 Pits that contained Asian elephant tusks, stone weapons and tusks from boars, antlers and deer were found.[6]^: 256[7]^: 12 This locality was an area where cultural, religious and social events occurred.[7]^: 12[10]^: 372

Buildings, tombs, graves, kilns, refuse pits and cellar pits were found at Locus Lan Yuan.[6]^: 258[7]^: 12 Buildings were found in the north, while burials were found in the south and west of the locality.[6]^: 258 Excavation here by the institute occurred between July 2001 and January 2002. It is situated next to Locus Mei Yuan and covers 15 hectares.[6]^: 258 Before it became a burial site, it was a residential area for the people living in Jinsha.[6]^: 258[7]^: 12

Larger palace-like residential buildings and burial pits were found at Locus Tiyu Gongyuan.[6]^: 258[7]^: 12 Excavation efforts were focused here between October and November 2001.[6]^: 258 It is next to Locus Lan Yuan and covers 9 hectares. Burial pits were the most densely populated here, with 15 burials found within 81 square metres. The locality was a residential area for the wealthier residents at Jinsha, before it became a place of burials.[6]^: 258[7]^: 12

Golden sun bird displayed at Jinsha Museum

The gold artefact is circular with a 12-point sun in the middle.[13] With a concentration of 94.2% gold, the gold leaf was made with natural gold dust.[14] On the perimeters of the leaf, four birds flying towards the left have been carved out.[6]^{: 261–262} In 2005, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage stated that the artefact symbolised Chinese history.[1][4] It was believed to represent the legend in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.[4] The legend explained that sunset occurred when four birds pulled it down from the sky.[4] Due to its popularity, the artefact is the logo for the Jinsha Museum, which currently displays it on the second floor.[4] Since people at Jinsha worshipped the sun, the gold sunbird is regarded to symbolise authority and power.[6]^: 262

One of the twelve kneeling human figures found at Jinsha

Stone snake found with the kneeling stone human figures

12 human figures made of stone were discovered.[6]^: 265[8]^: 170 The figures are depicted kneeling, with their hands tied and their hair braided with a parting in the middle. The figure's faces are angular with high nose bridges, and their bodies are naked with no decoration or markings on them.[6]^: 265[8]^: 170 Skilful stone craftsmanship is indicated through precise cutting, polishing, carving and hollowing.[10]^: 381 The figures most likely represent shamans, ritual performers, or human sacrifices to the higher beings, rather than slaves or prisoners of wars.[8]^: 175 Similar figures were found in Sanxingdui, where a short hairstyle mimics the identity of shamans and ritual specialists.[8]^: 171 Along with the human figures, ritual artefacts such as stone tigers, stone snakes, bronze and pottery were found.[8]^: 171 In ancient China, snakes were viewed as the intermediate species between deity and humans, while tigers were feared by the people. Those who commanded snakes and tigers were held as superior and special in status for conducting religious activities.[10]^: 372 Therefore, these were used in Locus Mei Yuan for rituals, sacrifices, ceremonies and religious feasts.[7]^: 12[10]^: 372

The gold mask has crescent-shaped eyes and a half-opened mouth.[6]^{: 261–262} [7]^: 9[15][16] The design makes it appear to be 'smiling'. It is 3.7 centimetres in height and 4.7 centimetres in width. This design has not been found anywhere else in China.[14] Its thin mould was made by beating sheets of gold.[14][15] The mask was used for religious worship and prayers when it was bonded onto figures.[15][16] For the people at Jinsha, the mask was an avenue to connect with deities.[16]

At Locus Mei Yuan, Asian elephant tusks were found in the eastern corner.[6]^: 260[7]^: 9[14] The pit was 160 centimetres in length and 60 centimetres in width.[6]^: 261[7]^: 9 It was severely disturbed by construction equipment during excavations. There were two layers to the pit. The top layer was filled with dirt, while the bottom layer was sand filled with elephant tusks. The longest tusk was 150 centimeters long. These were evenly placed in 8 layers. Within this rounded pit, bronze and jade artefacts were found.[6]^: 261[7]^: 9

Pottery kiln

All 50 buildings found faced north-west or south-west.[7]^: 7 For smaller buildings, the floors were filled with small post-holes only. For large buildings, large post-holes (spaced 1 meter apart) were added. The walls were made using the wattle and daub method. It was constructed with mud on the inside and supported by wood or bamboo on the outside.[6]^: 260[7]^: 7

200 pottery kilns have been discovered near burial pits in Lan Yuan, Sanhe Huayuan and Jindu Huayuan.[6]^: 260[10]^: 373 People mainly used pottery for ordinary and religious activities.[10]^: 373 Each kiln had 4 components: a surface, fire chamber, kiln door and kiln chamber.[6]^: 260[7]^: 7 It was oval with an area of 4 square metres.[7]^: 7 Pottery production was prominent at Jinsha as kilns were also discovered in buildings. The concentration of kilns in certain areas reflects the proximity between crafters. This allowed uniformity in pottery production.[10]^: 379

At Locus Lan Yuan and Locus Tiyu Gongyuan, 300 burial pits were found.[7]^: 7 They mostly faced south-west, but some faced north-west.[6]^: 260[7]^: 7 Skeletons were found to be lying upwards with their hands covering the chest.[14] Contrary to the burials found in Sanxingdui, half only contained the body.[6]^: 260[7]^: 7 The other half had burial goods but were limited to pottery. Only in five burials were jade and bronze artefacts also found. Burial chambers were found to include either single bodies or bodies of couples.[14] The layout of burials did not indicate a social hierarchy in the Jinsha civilisation. The even distribution indicates that the society was not organised in a top-down manner.[10]^: 379

Conservation methods at the museum include temperature control, transparent curtain walls against ultra-violet rays and a controllable glass panel for air ventilation.[2]^: 267[17]^: 2 The conservation department of the Jinsha Museum is responsible for security, surveillance and general maintenance – this is an attempt to prevent vandalism and destruction by the public. The Chengdu Museum communicates scientific advancements on conservation that could be beneficial for the site.[2]^: 264

Cracks and mosses emerging from the features displayed at Jinsha Museum

A combined team from Jinsha Museum and Chengdu Museum implemented conservation strategies that targeted the moss and cracks forming on the site in 2007. After an analysis on the most effective biocide, the team distributed germall across the site in 2009. This removed mosses from the surface. Additionally, finely milled sand was used to fill in the cracks – this prevented them from enlarging. The difference in colour between the original surface and the sand was later evened for aesthetic purposes.[2]^: 269

The environment and temperature at Jinsha encourage the growth of bacteria, mosses and cracks.[2]^: 267[17]^: 2 A high concentration of illite was found in its soil, which makes the site's features and objects prone to cracking.[2]^: 268[17]^: 8 There are concerns that the excavation grids and unprotected artefacts are vulnerable to sunlight, birds and wet weather.[2]^: 264 Despite the temperature control system, it remains unstable.[2]^: 267 Poor stabilisation aids the development of pathologies. Ceasing daily water sprinkling around the site has been recommended to reduce the humidity and moisture.[2]^: 271

Sediment and radiocarbon analyses show that the Chengdu Plains experienced a number of large earthquakes over the past 5,000 years,[11]^: 488[18]^: 942 with one occurring roughly every 1,000 years. One such earthquake, given its estimated timing, may have caused the disappearance of the Jinsha civilisation.[11]^: 488 It may have been similar in nature to the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake, which also occurred in the same geographical region.[11]^: 491[18]^: 924 Not only could an earthquake have destroyed buildings (including homes), it could have also led to secondary natural disasters (such as floods and landslides), or rendered the surviving population more vulnerable to disease outbreaks.[11]^: 490[18]^: 934 Such drastic environment and ecological changes could have necessitated a complete relocation.[11]^: 491

Field studies and sediment sampling show that sediment remains from ancient nearby rivers had been transported to the site. Within these sediment remains, there is a high concentration of relatively large grains, which is evidence for the occurrence of floods in the region.[9]^: 85[18]^: 944 Therefore, it is plausible that one particularly destructive flood could have caused the collapse and sudden disappearance of the Jinsha civilisation.[9]^: 85[18]^: 944

The flood and earthquake hypotheses are not mutually exclusive, as earthquakes may induce floods.