bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Kevin McSpadden

For Chinese archaeology, 2021 was a banner year highlighted by the global breakthrough that was the beautifully preserved ancient gold masks discovered at Sanxingdui.
Last week, the Institute of Archaeology under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences announced what it believed were the most important archaeology finds in China last year. While most of the sites were discovered before 2021, they all featured remarkable excavation finds from last year.
The discoveries help paint a picture of ancient Chinese society across the millennia.
Here are the top Chinese archaeology discoveries of 2021, according to the central government.
1. Breakthroughs at Sanxingdui

It would be impossible to accurately discuss recent Chinese archaeology without mentioning the site at Sanxingdui, which researchers estimate is around 3,000 to 3,200 years old.
In March 2021, jaws dropped across the world when scientists revealed beautifully preserved masks made out of sheets of gold. The findings were so exciting that nearby farmers cut their crops in the shape of the famous “alien faces” common among the artefacts.
In September, scientists announced an entirely new slew of artefacts uncovered at the site, many of which are contributing to a rethink of the earliest days of Chinese civilisation.
2. Written characters from the Warring States period

There is nothing quite like finding text on artefacts because it offers direct insight into the thoughts of our ancient ancestors.
In March 2021, scientists announced they had found a long piece of wood containing a 700-character script from the Warring States period (475-221BC).
The text is believed to be an essay from a counsellor who was trying to convince the Qin dynasty emperor at that time, Qin Shi Huang, to accept a truce after five of the eastern kingdoms created an alliance that temporarily stopped the Qin’s march across China.
The emperor apparently did not heed the advice, as it would eventually conquer and unify China in 221BC.
3. A seal reveals royalty of the Tibetan Tubo Kingdom


Scans performed on an ancient Tibetan seal last year revealed that it probably belonged to the son of a princess in the Tubo Kingdom (618-842), which was a consolidation of Tibetan tribes during the Tang dynasty (618-907).
The carving on the seal says “seal of nephew Azha King”, which helped archaeologists determine that the tomb was connected to the king of Tuyuhun, a Tibetan tribe that ruled what is now modern-day Qinghai province in northwest China.
While excavation on the ancient Tibetan tomb began in 2018, the seal was not found until late-2020, followed by a careful cleaning before it could be scanned.
4. Ancient axes redefine the movement of ancient people

Hand-axes from the palaeolithic period found in Qinghai province shed light on how people migrated from Eurasia to China.
Discovered on the Piluo archaeology site on the Tibetan plateau, the axes are believed to be around 130,000 years old.
The tools are commonly found in Africa and Eurasia and occasionally discovered in China. The most recent discoveries in China represent the highest altitude (3,750m) the tools have ever been discovered, providing insight into how those ancient humans survived harsh terrains.
Interestingly, scientists found more contemporary artefacts from 30,000-50,000 years ago that showed more similarities to older local societies rather than cultures that may have been imported from people who lived further west.
5. Identifying a noble from the Zhou dynasty

Archaeologists announced in December 2021 that the owner of a tomb dating back to the Zhou dynasty (1046-256BC) was a noble.
The scientists were able to conclude his identity thanks to two weapons buried with the man. The descendants of a powerful king originally owned the weapons, so the fact that the man was buried with the weapons suggests he was of a high social rank.
Archaeologists also discovered an ancient stringed instrument called a zheng in the tomb. At 2.3m long, it is the longest zheng ever found.
6. A neolithic jade workshop at the Huangshan site
The Huangshan archaeological site in central China’s Henan province provided an essential window into the Yangshao culture, one of the first Chinese societies.
While the site has not produced a “wow” artefact on the scale of other discoveries on this list, it has painted a detailed picture of a complex society.
Scientists at the site have learned how Yangshao people leveraged waterways, how they interacted with other regions in China and what tools were necessary for people at the time.
One of the significant findings from last year were jade workshops, and a burial ground they believe was for a clan that specialised in jade manufacturing.


Jar burials: a glimpse into ancient China’s compassion, funeral practices for infant deaths

Why is Andy Lau’s name carved on a 600-year-old brick from the Ming dynasty?

Triceratops skeleton ‘Trey’ to hit the auction block as dinosaur market soars

Australian police arrest man, recover stolen Egyptian artefacts after museum heist

Archaeology and palaeontology

Chinese government reveals its most significant archaeological breakthroughs of 2021

The Chinese government revealed its top archaeology finds from 2021, including artefacts from Sanxingdui (left) and the Warring States period (right). Photo: Handout

Archaeologists discovered beautiful gold masks in Sanxingdui that they believe are around 3,000 years old. Photo: Xinhua

This piece of wood contains 700 characters of script from the Warring States period. Photo: Handout

These hand axes offered insights into how humans moved over 100,000 years ago. Photo: CGTN

This is the longest zheng ever found. Photo: Global Times

Archaeologists discover centre for greatest Chinese philosophers during Warring States period from over 2,000 years ago

Chinese archaeologists say they have found the legendary Jixia Academy from the Warring States period.  Photo: Sina

The excavation could shed light on how the philosophers lived at Jixia. Photo: Xinhua

The institute could probably be compared to a modern-day think tank, rather than an academy or school. Photo: Xinhua

Discovery of 5,500-year-old structure in central China offers insights into ancient ‘Painted-pottery Culture’

While it does not look like much, this pentagonal shape is believed to be a 5,500-year-old structure of an ancient Chinese civilisation. Photo: Taiyuan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

Relics of an old stove pit and flue at the Yangshao Culture relic site in Zhencheng villageCREDIT: Taiyuan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

An unearthed red pottery bowl from the Yangshao Culture relic site in Zhencheng village, Taiyuan CREDIT: Taiyuan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

Chinese scientists hail space radar breakthrough

The lasers could detect debris that poses a threat to satellites. Photo: Shutterstock

Images obtained using the technology. Photo: Handout

The experimental set-up (top) and the 1km experiment verification. Photo: Handout

China’s top archaeological finds: from lost civilisation and terracotta army to world’s oldest noodles

The Terracotta warriors, found in Xian in the 1970s, are the best known Chinese discovery. Photo: Shutterstock

(210320) -- CHENGDU, March 20, 2021 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on March 19, 2021 shows bronze wares unearthed from a sacrificial pit at the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province. Chinese archaeologists announced Saturday that some new major discoveries have been made at the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China, helping shed light on the cultural origins of the Chinese nation. Archaeologists have found six new sacrificial pits and unearthed more than 500 items dating back about 3,000 years at the Sanxingdui Ruins in Sichuan Province, the National Cultural Heritage Administration announced in the provincial capital Chengdu. (Xinhua/Li He)

An oracle bone is displayed at the oracle bone inscriptions-themed exhibition at the National Museum of China in Beijing, capital of China, on Wed. Oct. 23, 2019, the first it opens to the public. This exhibition is to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the discovery of oracle bone inscriptions. Oracle Bone Inscriptions, called as Jiaguwen in Chinese, are an ancient Chinese language named for their inscriptions on tortoise shells and animal bones. They are a primitive form of Chinese characters and the oldest fully-developed characters in China. Yinxu, or Yin ruins, located in central China’s Henan province, is the main archeological places for the oracle bone. 23OCT19 SCMP/Simon Song

A heritage museum built on the prehistoric disaster ruins of Lajia in the northwestern province of Qinghai. The site is an example of Qijia Culture, which flourished in the transitional period from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age, about 3,500 to 4,000 years ago, according to archaeologists.Besides skeletons, tools and homeware, archaeologists also found the remains of the world's oldest noodles â a batch of 50cm-long, yellow strands in a red pottery bowl.Scientists said the noodles were made using grains from millet grass rather than wheat flour in modern days.They said the noodles may have been used for sacrifice judging from where they were placed.

Handout image shows ancient Chinese whitening cream. A discovery of a kind of whitening face cream for men in ancient China has hinted that being “a beautiful delicate man” might be a fashion about 2,700 years ago, researchers said. The 6-gram residue in an ornate and sealed bronze jar found in a grave of an ancient Chinese nobleman dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) has been identified as a cosmetic, following years of chemical analysis. CREDIT: University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

News

People & Culture


The discoveries at Sanxingdui became a global sensation in 2021, highlighted by beautifully preserved gold masks
Other discoveries included finding an ancient essay, the son of a princess and tools from 130,000-year-old people



The Institute of Archaeology under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences recently revealed its top-six archaeological discoveries of 2021, including some real gems.


Chinese history

History