Today, the 2023 annual report on important archaeological discoveries in the Sichuan-Chongqing region was held in Chengdu. This report will report 17 important new archaeological discoveries in the Sichuan-Chongqing region from the Paleolithic period to the Tang and Song dynasties in 2023. At the same time, the conference selected a total of 9 important archaeological discoveries in the Sichuan-Chongqing region in 2023.
According to reports, the selection criteria are required to meet the approval procedures of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage for field archaeological excavation, to ensure the quality of the excavation, the excavation content has historical, artistic and scientific value, and to deepen the understanding of the Bashu civilization to provide new content information and physical witness.
After the project report and expert review, Yuan Dongshan, president of the Chongqing Historic Sites Protection Association, announced the selected results, which are the archaeological excavation project of the dragon bone slope site in Wushan County, Chongqing, the archaeological excavation project of the Huaqian Cave site in Wulong District, Chongqing, the archaeological excavation project of the Mengxi River site in Ziyang City, Sichuan Province, the archaeological excavation project of the Xujiaxiang site in Qingbaijiang, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, the archaeological excavation project of the Sanxingdui site in Guanghan City, Sichuan Province, and the Laolongtou cemetery in Yanyuan County, Sichuan Province. Archaeological excavation project of No. 1 Western Han Tomb at the gate of Tianzi Tomb Site in Wulong District, Chongqing, archaeological excavation project of Yajiaopu Village Cliff Tomb Group in Fucheng District, Mianyang City, Sichuan Province, and archaeological excavation project of Xianyanjingxia Salt Industry Site in Wulong District, Chongqing.
The Bashu civilization, which originated in Sichuan and Chongqing, has witnessed the evolution of the pluralistic and integrated pattern of Chinese civilization, with a long history, a unique appearance, and a gorgeous and colorful style, and rich archaeological achievements have extended the historical axis of ancient Sichuan and Chongqing, increased historical credibility, enriched historical connotation, activated historical scenes, and made the appearance of ancient Sichuan and Chongqing more clear.
A little more news:
Why these nine selections?
1.Archaeological excavation project of dragon bone slope site in Wushan County, Chongqing
The excavation of the Longjipo site this year has a clearer understanding of the stratigraphic sequence, relics burial, and cave genesis. The excavated stone artifacts further confirm the artificial nature of the limestone tools; The animal fossils add a new member to the keel slope fauna, and some of the fossils also have suspected artificial traces. The excavations have carried out multidisciplinary research work such as chronology, environmental archaeology and zooarchaeology, which provides more important clues for understanding the origin and evolution of human beings in Asia and even the world, and the relationship between early human activities and the environment.
A complete view of the keel slope site.
2.Archaeological excavation project of Huaqian Cave Site in Wulong District, Chongqing
The Huaqian Cave site is the first archaeological excavation project of cave sites in the lower reaches of the Wujiang River, which fills the gap in the paleolithic archaeological work in the lower reaches of the Wujiang River and the prehistoric cave sites in the Wulong area, provides new scientific data for the interpretation of stone tool technology and the adaptive survival behavior of ancient humans in the Wuling Mountains, enriches the Pleistocene anthropomorphic fossil materials in Chongqing, and is of great significance for the study of the evolutionary diversity of anthropomorphic members in the area.
Fossils unearthed at the site of Huaqian Cave.
3.Archaeological excavation project of Mengxi River site in Ziyang City, Sichuan Province
The site of Mengxi River is about 7-50,000 years old, which is a rare Paleolithic site with a large number of stone tools, animals and plant remains found at the same time, and is the only site with rich plant remains found in the emergence and diffusion stage of modern man, and some of the discoveries are one of the earliest in China and even in the world, which is of worldwide significance.
A scraper was unearthed at the site of the Mengxi River.
4.Archaeological excavation project of Xujiaxiang site in Qingbaijiang, Chengdu, Sichuan Province
The excavation scale of the Xujiaxiang site is large, the number of relics is large, and the unearthed relics are abundant. The site reflects the complete archaeological and cultural sequence of the Chengdu Plain, which is important for the study of the Longan Bridge in the Sichuan Basin.
It is of great significance to study the relationship between the relics of the first and second phases and the sentry shack mouth culture, and the relationship between the relics and the Yingpanshan culture and the Da Lijiaping site. The relics of the fourth phase of Baodun culture and the relics of Sanxingdui culture in some of the lower 6 layers of the site are co-founded, which provides important materials for the study of the relics of the late Neolithic period and the Xia culture period in the Chengdu Plain.
Diagram of the relationship between the paleoriver channel and the site.
5.Archaeological excavation project of Sanxingdui site in Guanghan City, Sichuan Province
The excavation of the Moon Bay site of Sanxingdui site in 2022-2023 confirmed that Sanxingdui site is another large construction area in addition to Qingguan Mountain, and the remains of handicraft workshops were found for the first time, which is of great significance for further understanding the settlement structure and handicraft production of Sanxingdui site.
Prospect of the excavation area.
6.The old dragon head cemetery in Yanyuan County, Sichuan Province
The excavation of the Laolongtou cemetery has constructed the framework and cultural sequence of the Bronze Age, the late Shang Dynasty to the Western Han Dynasty in the Yanyuan Basin and even in southwest China. It is clear that the Yanyuan Bronze Culture, represented by the Laolongtou Cemetery, is a bronze culture with unique regional characteristics and distinctive characteristics of the Bronze Age in Southwest China. The bronze culture of Yanyuan presents distinct characteristics of pluralism and complexity, which proves the history of bronze cultural exchanges and exchanges in the southwest and northwest regions and the Eurasian steppe. The caster's tomb and the abundant bronzes provide important information for the systematic study of Bronze Age smelting and casting technology in southwest China. It provides new archaeological data for the integration, exchange and mutual learning of the pluralistic and integrated pattern of Chinese civilization.
Master plan of the old dragon head cemetery.
7.Archaeological excavation project of the No. 1 Western Han Tomb at the gate of the Tianzi Tomb Site in Wulong District, Chongqing
Wulong Pass No. 1 Tomb is a major discovery of Qin and Han archaeology in Chongqing in 2023, the tomb is a very rare tomb in the early Western Han Dynasty with a clear date, the most well-preserved Western Han Dynasty wooden coffin tomb found in the southwest region, and the tomb with the most lacquered wood and bamboo artifacts unearthed at one time in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. In addition, the tomb shows the characteristics of the times when the Ba, Shu, Chu and Qin cultures converged and integrated in the process of the establishment of Han culture, which is of great value to the study of the "burial" system in the Han Dynasty, and is a vivid case of the integration of Bashu civilization into Han civilization.
Equestrian figurines unearthed from the No. 1 tomb of the Western Han Dynasty at the pass.
8.Archaeological excavation project of the cliff tombs in Baojiaopu Village, Fucheng District, Mianyang City, Sichuan Province
The cliff tomb group of Baojiaopu Village is one of the few cliff tombs from the late Shu Han Dynasty to the Southern Dynasties in the Mianyang area of northern Sichuan Province that has been exposed as a whole. The evolution of the structure of the cliff tomb chamber is clear, and there are traces of chiseling that can reflect the excavation process and burial customs of the cliff tomb, and there are complex overlapping and breaking relationships, avoidance relationships and juxtaposition symmetrical designs between the cliff tombs, which are closely related to the existing cliff tomb materials in northern Sichuan and have obvious regional characteristics. It provides a considerable amount of important material materials for the study of the production and life of the middle and lower class people and the development and change of funeral customs and burial rites in this historical period in northern Sichuan.
Relics unearthed from the cliff tombs of Baojiaopu Village.
9.Archaeological excavation project of salt industry site in Xianyanjingxia, Wulong District, Chongqing
Yanjingxia Salt Industry Site is a large-scale, well-preserved and complete supporting facilities of the salt workshop site, which shows the production layout of the salt workshop centered on the salt stove, reflects the vertical layout strategy and industrial landscape of the canyon-type salt industry site, and comprehensively reflects the salt production chain at that time, and the site is of great value for the study of the development history of the salt industry in the Sichuan Basin, the salt production technology of the well salt, and the salt industry.
The salt stove of the salt industry site of Wulong Yanjingxia in Chongqing.
Chengdu **Jinguan News Reporter Wang Ruyi **Organizer Editor-in-charge He Qitie Editor Wen Zhu.