Sanxingdui "National Treasure" Bronze Ware "Wonderful Combination" Sacrificial Pit | Bronze Statue | Sanxingdui

Using new technological means, the bronze artifacts unearthed from the eight "sacrificial pits" in Sanxingdui have restored the "wonderful combination" from 3000 years ago. On the 10th, the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology announced in Chengdu that after excavation and collaborative research by cultural preservation personnel, the relatively complete forms of two large bronze artifacts have been presented in a shocking manner recently.

A bronze beast kneels and sits on a human head, holding a bronze statue

"More peculiar and shocking than we had anticipated before, full of imagination and creativity," said Tang Fei, director of the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.

According to Tang Fei, these two bronze artifacts are respectively a bronze statue of a kneeling beast carrying a human head and a bronze statue of an upside down bird foot head deity, both made up of fragments buried in different "sacrificial pits". Considering the issue of structural safety, the cultural relics cannot be gathered together at present. Therefore, using technological means such as 3D scanning and 3D modeling, the relatively complete form of these two "national treasures" has been successfully restored.

The restored bronze beast carrying a kneeling bronze statue with a head on top is 1.589 meters high. Overall, it is a "divine beast" carrying a kneeling bronze statue with a head on top. It is composed of a combination of the mouth edge of the bronze statue in the second "sacrificial pit", a kneeling figure on the bronze top statue in the third "sacrificial pit", and a bronze divine beast in the eighth "sacrificial pit".

This cultural relic consists of three parts: upper, middle, and lower. The lower level is a "divine beast", with its head held high, limbs strong, and majestic. In the center of the head of the divine beast stands a beautifully dressed bronze statue. The middle layer is a bronze statue kneeling on the back of the "divine beast", with thick eyebrows and big eyes, wearing a crown on the top of the head, and wearing a long sleeved, twisted cloud and thunder patterned short shirt with a front facing shirt. The lower body is wearing an eye patterned short skirt, with arms raised in front of the chest. The upper layer is a three section folding shoulder statue, with three-dimensional accessories in the shape of dragons and beasts.

Copper God Beast

Tang Fei believes that this set of bronze artifacts represents a sacrificial scene, where those kneeling on the back of divine beasts should have the identity of witches, and kneeling and standing is the most devout posture of ancient Shu ritual gods. The bronze man standing on top of the divine beast may symbolize the ancient Shu king. The copper statue on the head of the witch has a Central Plains cultural style, and it is speculated that there should be offerings such as seashells, jade, and wine inside the statue during the ritual.

The restored statue of the upside down bird foot top statue of the copper Lei seat is 2.53 meters high, mainly composed of copper Lei, statues, and human figures. It is composed of five parts: the copper bird foot statue of the 2nd "Sacrificial Pit", the climbing dragon bronze vessel cover of the 3rd "Sacrificial Pit", the copper top statue of the 8th "Sacrificial Pit", the curved body statue of the supporting Lei, the copper holding dragon standing statue, and the copper staff shaped vessel. The main body of this bronze artifact is an inverted deity statue, with protruding eyes and exposed fangs. The head is revered, the hands support the Lei, and the foot rests on the bird. The body is flipped back, and the legs are muscular and powerful. The feet are shaped like bird claws, indicating that they are gods rather than humans.

Bronze Lei pedestal inverted bird foot top statue

"These two bronze artifacts are both cast from relatively independent parts, with a huge volume and complex and unique shapes. They should be the artistic image of the ancient Shu ritual 3000 years ago, reflecting the superb bronze design and casting skills of the ancestors of Sanxingdui. They not only demonstrate the uniqueness of the ancient Shu civilization, but also reflect the strong influence of Central Plains culture, once again demonstrating the long history, profound and diverse integration of Chinese civilization." Tang Fei said.

The successful cross pit pairing of cultural relics proves that several "sacrificial pits" in the sacrificial area have similar formation dates, which is of great significance for understanding the archaeological age, layout, nature, and sacrificial forms of the Sanxingdui sacrificial area.

It is understood that with the comprehensive completion of the field work in the Sanxingdui site sacrificial area, the indoor sorting, protection, and restoration of newly unearthed cultural relics has become one of the most important tasks at present. The bronze statue of a kneeling beast with a human head on top has been basically confirmed to be complete, while there may be other parts of the inverted bird foot top statue of a bronze lei.

What other wonderful combinations of Sanxingdui cultural relics are worth looking forward to.

Provided by Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology