User:Anninarose/sandbox

Discovery
The Jinsha site was discovered by accident on 8 February 2001. The Chinese Real Estate Development Group unearthed bronze, gold, jade, stone and ivory artifacts in a drain, five kilometres northwest of the centre of Chengdu. Subsequently, the Chengdu Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology dispatched a team to investigate and secure the region. Excavation surrounding the initial ditch began on 9 February 2001 (Zhangyi et al., 2003).

The term ‘Jinsha Site’ was coined after 2001. It refers to the excavation sites in the Jinsha region that occupy three square kilometres – it is separated into different archaeological loci. Before 2001, the Chengdu Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology had conducted field surveys and investigations in Huangzhongcun. In Huangzhongcun, excavations were conducted in Locus Sanhe Huayuan and Locus Jindu Huayuan from 1995 to 2000. It is recognised that these archaeological loci are remnants of a large-scale civilisation in the late Shang and early Western Zhou periods (Zhangyi et al., 2003). After the decline of the Sanxingdui settlement, the Jinsha Site was believed to be the capital of the Shu kingdom (Zhang et al., 2003; Lin & Wang, 2017).

Site information
Jinsha Site is located in east Chengdu Plains in the Chengdu Basin. It is commonly compared to the Sanxingdui settlement due to its similarities in artifacts and features. Sanxingdui is situated fourty kilometres east-west from Jinsha. Shuhan, Qinyang, Sanhuan and Qinjiang Road enclose the Jinsha Site, while the Modihe River separates the site into the north and the south side. The nature of the site is even with little fluctuations in its elevation (Zhangyi et al., 2003).

Dating and cultural classification
Pottery found in the Huangzhongcun region of the Jinsha Site has been dated to the late Shang and Western Zhou periods in pre-Qin China (Zhangyi et al., 2003). An analysis of the chronology and artifacts found suggests that the Jinsha civilisation represents the Shi’erqiao Culture (Zhangyi et al., 2003). Distinct features included the pointed-bottom cups, ring-foot jars and tall-necked vessel lids.

Organisation and localities
The Jinsha Site is divided into different localities that have been identified to possess unique functions in society (Zhangyi et al., 2003). The main archaeological loci include Mei Yuan, Lan Yuan, Tiyu Gongyuan and Huangzhongcun (Chengdu Municipal Institute of Antiquity and Archaeology, 2003).

Locus Mei Yuan
At Locus Mei Yuan, 3000 cultural artifacts made of gold, bronze, jade, stone, ivory and bone were unearthed. Main findings included a pit full of Asian elephant tusks, a pit containing discs and weapons made of stone and a pit containing tusks from a variety of animals (Chengdu Municipal Institute of Antiquity and Archaeology, 2003; Zhangyi et al., 2003). The Institute suggests that this locality was an area of cultural and religious practice.

Locus Lan Yuan
At Locus Lan Yuan, excavations revealed buildings, tombs, graves, kilns, refuse pits and cellar pits. Before it became a burial site, the locality was believed to be a residential area for its people (Zhangyi et al., 2003; Chengdu Municipal Institute of Antiquity and Archaeology, 2003). Jade, pottery and stone artifacts were found in the tombs (Zhangyi et al., 2003).

Locus Tiyu Gongyuan
At Locus Tiyu Gongyuan, larger palace-like structures and numerous burial pits were found concentrated together (Chengdu Municipal Institute of Antiquity and Archaeology, 2003). It is thought that this was a residential area for wealthy people before it became a burial site (Zhangyi et al., 2003).

Artifacts
Noticeable artifacts found include the golden sunbird, gold mask and kneeling stone figures.

Golden sunbird
The gold artifact is circular with a 12-point sun in the middle. With a concentration of 94.2% gold, the gold leaf was made with natural gold dust followed by a series of craftsmanship (Chengdu Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology, 2015). On the perimeters of the leaf, four birds flying towards the left have been carved out using advanced, precise craftsmanship. In 2005, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage stated that the artifact represented a symbol in Chinese history (China Daily, 2015). The artifact is believed to represent the story written in Classic in Mountains and Seas. In this legend, the sun was set by four birds pulling it down from the sky. It is the symbol for the Jinsha Museum and located on the second floor (Jinsha Museum Site). The golden sunbird is believed to symbolise authority. According to Hua (2013), that the Jinsha people maintained a strong emotional connection to the sun and its worship (p. 162).

Smiling gold mask
The gold mask appears to be smiling due to its crescent-shaped eyes and half-opened mouth (Zhangyi et al., 2014). It is 3.7 centimetres in height and 4.7 centimetres in width. It is made by beating a gold sheet on a special mold (Chengdu Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology, 2015). Jinsha Site is the only place where masks of this nature and style have been uncovered in China. Its small size makes archaeologist Zhangyi believe that it was bonded onto figures and sculptures instead of being put on humans (China Daily, 2014).

Kneeling stone human figures
12 human figures made of stone were discovered. These figures were kneeling with their hands tied – their hair was braided with a parting in the middle. The faces were angular with high nose bridges. The bodies were naked with no decoration or markings on them. Skilful stone craftsmanship is indicated through precise cutting, polishing, carving and hollowing found on these figures.

While these characteristics indicate the figures to represents slaves or prisoners or wars, Shi (2014) argues that the figures represented shamans, ritual performers or human sacrifices to the deities. Similar figures were found in Sanxingdui, where short hairstyle mimics the identity of shamans and ritual specialists. Along with the human figures, ritual artifacts were found – these included jade sceptres, stone tigers, stone snakes, bronze and pottery. Founded in Locus Mei Yuan, scholars believe that rituals, sacrifices, ceremonies and feasts occurred in this area (Lin, 2019) (p. 384). 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 (Lin, 2019) (p. 179).

Features
Noticeable features at the site include burials, buildings and the elephant tusk pit.

Buildings
An estimated number of 50 residential buildings were located (Chengdu Municipal Institute of Antiquity and Archaeology, 2002). All buildings faced north-west or south-west. Two types of flooring were found. For smaller buildings, the floors were filled with small post-holes only. In large buildings, there was the addition of large post-holes spaced one meter apart. Walls were made using the wattle and daub method. It was constructed with mud on the inside, supported by wood or bamboo on the exterior.

Burial pits and tombs
An estimated number of 1000 burial sites were found between Locus Lan Yuan and Locus Tiyu Gongyuan (Chengdu Municipal Institute of Antiquity and Archaeology, 2002; Zhangyi et al., 2003; Chengdu Municipal Institute of Antiquity and Archaeology, 2015). Most burials faced south-west, but some faced north-west. Skeletons were found to be lying upwards with their hands covering their chest (Chengdu Municipal Institute of Antiquity and Archaeology, 2015). Contrary to the burials found in Sanxingdui, half of the burials only contained the body. The other half had burial goods but were limited to pottery. Only in five burials were jade and bronze artifacts also found. Burial chambers were found to include either single bodies or bodies of couples.

The layout of burials did not indicate a social hierarchy in the Jinsha civilisation (Lin, 2019). Generally, where people are buried depended on their socio-economic status in society. However, the evenly spaced burials at the Jinsha Site indicated that the society was not a top-down one.

Elephant tusk pits
At Locus Mei Yuan, a pit filled with Asian elephant tusks were found in the eastern corner (Chengdu Municipal Institute of Antiquity and Archaeology, 2015 => page 9; Zhangyi et al., 2014 => p. 261). The longest tusk was 150 meters long (page 9). This pit was severely disturbed by construction equipment upon unearthing (page 9). Two layers were found in the pit. The top layer was filled with brown fill, while the bottom layer was sand filled with the elephant tusks.

Conservation
The conservation of the Jinsha Site has been through the construction of the Jinsha Museum – a museum constructed in 2007 that functions as a shelter across 6 hectares of the site. It aims to provide detailed information to tourist and conserve the site (Website). Before its construction, no efforts were made to conserve the archaeological site. Jinsha Site is listed on UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Tentative List and Major Site Protected at the National Level (Bai & Zhou, 2012).

Jinsha site has been conserved through the Jinsha Museum. It was constructed in 2007 and functions as a shelter across 6 hectares of the site (Bai & Zhou, 2012; Jinsha Museum Website). Its aims are to provide detailed information to tourist on the Shu kingdom and to maintain its status as the most-preserved sacrificial remains found in China (Jinsha Museum Website). Before its construction, no efforts were made to conserve the archaeological site (Bai & Zhou, 2012). It is listed on UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Tentative List and Major Site Protected at the National Level (Bai & Zhou, 2012; Jinsha Site Museum; UNESCO Tentative List Website)

Methods of conservation
Conservation methods at the museum include temperature control, transparent curtain walls against ultra-violet rays and a controllable glass panel for air ventilation. Additionally, 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 (Bai & Zhou, 2012).

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 (Bai & Zhou, 2012).

Problems with conservation methods
The environment and temperature at Jinsha encourage the growth of bacteria, moss and cracks. A high concentration of illite was found in its soil which makes the site features and objects prone to cracking. There are concerns that the excavation grids and unprotected artifacts are vulnerable to sunlight, birds and wet weather. Despite the temperature control system, they remain unstable. Poor stabilisation aids the development of pathologies, harming the preservation of the Jinsha Site. Ceasing daily water sprinkling around the site has been recommended to reduce the humidity and moisture (Bai & Zhou, 2012).

Collapse of the Jinsha civilisation
Around 500 to 200BCE, the Jinsha settlement ended abruptly (Lin & Wang, 2017). While the reasons remain unclear, experts have proposed political revolution, catastrophic floods and earthquakes as a potential reason for its collapse (Lin & Wang, 2017; Jia et al., 2017). Political conflict as a reason has been criticised due to its unrealistic ability to cause an entire settlement to disappear (Lin & Wang, 2017).

Earthquake theory
Some argue that the collapse of the Jinsha civilisation was due to a great earthquake similar in nature to the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake (Lin & Wang, 2017). An analysis of the sediment layers and radiocarbons showed that the Chengdu Plains experienced large earthquakes over the past 5000 years. These occurred in 1000-year intervals, with the dates aligning with the disappearance of the Jinsha civilisation. In addition to the destruction of the people’s residents and buildings, the secondary effects of an earthquake include floods, diseases and landslides. A change in environment would have required the remaining people at Jinsha to relocate (Lin & Wang, 2017).

Flooding theory
Others have argued that catastrophic floods led to the collapse and sudden disappearance of the Jinsha civilisation. Field studies and sediment sampling showed that sediment remains from ancient nearby rivers were transported to the site. With the high concentration of large grain sizes, it is believed that flooding occurred in the region (Jia et al., 2017).

Answers to Module 7 Questions
The media is a photograph taken from my phone. It is my own work. It is a JPEG file. The license chosen in the CC BY-SA 4.0. I added this to the 'Sydney' category. I described the file to be the 'Sydney Opera House'.

(CC BY-SA 4.0)