Weighing about 280 grams (O.6 pounds) and probably made from 84% gold, the gold mask is one of over 500 objects uncovered from six newly discovered "sacrificial pits (祭祀坑)" according to the China's National Cultural Heritage Administration.
The finds were made at Sanxingdui, a 4.6-square-mile area outside Chengdu on March 20. Some experts said the objects might shine further light on the ancient "Shu" state, a kingdom that ruled in the western Sichuan basin until it was captured in 316 BC.
More than 50.000 ancient objects have been found at Sanxingdui since the 1920s, when a local farmer accidentally dug up a number of ancient objects at the site. A major breakthrough happened in 1986. With the discovery of two sacrificial pits keeping over 1,000 objects, including well-protected masks.
After a long break, a third pit was then found in late 2019, leading to the discovery of the other five pits last year. Experts believed the pits were used for sacrificial purposes, explaining why many of the objects were burned as they were dropped in the sacrificial pits.
Follow-up field research began in March 2020, and five more sacrificial pits were uncovered. The biggest among the six pits. the No. 8 pit, is 19 square meters. The smallest, No. 5, covers 3.5 square meters and is where the most recent gold mask was found.
Sanxingdui is regarded as one of the most important historical sites in the world, because of its size, age and the ancient objects found in it. Sanxingdui is believed to have sat at the heart of the Shu state. The site has deepened experts' understanding of how human culture developed in ancient China." These ancient objects show the Sanxingdui site had a close connection with Central China, but it also marks an ancient culture (in Sichuan) with strong creativity," said ChenXiandan, a member of the research team.
The latest discoveries at Sanxingdui have aroused great public interest. From March 21 to 25, a two-hour programme on the Sanxingdui site was shown each day. People could see workers use different kinds of tools to bring back the ancient objects with great care in the new pits. On social media platform Sina Weibo, three out of the top 10 most searched topics on March 21 were about Sanxingdui.
a. The No. 3 pit was discovered.
b. The gold mask was uncovered from a pit.
c. Sanxingdui became popular on the Internet.
d. The Sanxingdui site was discovered by accident.
e. Over 1,000 objects were found in the first two pits.
