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A large number of ivory unearthed from Jinsha site is a research project of interest to many archaeologists and historians. At 200 1, two burial pits with ivory were found in Jinsha village. Because before this, China archaeologists have found ivory in other places, but at that time, due to lack of experience and protection measures, those ivory were eventually destroyed by sudden changes in the environment, which made people sigh. Therefore, when dealing with the ivory unearthed from Jinsha site, archaeologists were particularly cautious. When they dug halfway, they changed their faces: they said that they should be buried as soon as possible.
▲ Ivory unearthed from Jinsha Site.
Generally speaking, ivory can be used as a carving material, and its material is extremely delicate and firm. However, ivory buried in the ground for two or three thousand years is no longer like this. Because it has been buried underground for a long time, it is rich in water and its strength is low. Once unearthed, it will quickly lose water and lead to sharp deformation, and finally it will even break when touched, completely losing its research value.
▲ Ivory in the museum
In order to properly preserve these ivory, archaeologists held an emergency meeting overnight, and finally worked out a plan to transport them intact to the archaeological research institute. But what everyone didn't expect was that in the next excavation work, a large number of ivory were discovered one after another, with a number of hundreds of thousands. It is extremely rare to find such a large amount of ivory in archaeology, and Jinsha site has also become the cultural site with the most ivory found in the world.
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Where did these ivory come from? At present, there are three main theories in archaeology. First of all, these ivory were shipped from ancient India through trade. The second argument is that these ivory are probably the tributes of ancient Yunnan-Guizhou countries, indicating that Chengdu was already the economic and cultural center of Yunnan-Guizhou-Sichuan at that time. Thirdly, there is a record in Shan Hai Jing "Zhongshan Jing": "Minshan Mountain, where the river flows out ... its wild animals are many rhinos, elephants and cows." This shows that a large number of Asian elephants probably lived in Sichuan at that time. Which statement is correct needs further study in archaeological work before it can be finally confirmed.
▲ Asian elephant photos
So, why are these ivory buried in the sacrificial pit? Archaeologists believe that ivory was a symbol of wealth at that time, and the reason why ancient Shu people buried ivory in the sacrificial pit was to sacrifice to the gods for blessing. Some experts also put forward different opinions. They think it is probably a kind of witchcraft, and its main purpose is to defeat evil spirits or enemies. In fact, Jinsha site not only found a lot of ivory, but also found a larger number of antlers and wild boar teeth. Their specific use is still a mystery, which needs further study and discovery by archaeologists.
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However, there is a very real problem that archaeologists need to deal with immediately. The preservation of such a large amount of ivory is a big problem. If all of them are excavated, it will cost a lot of money to keep them intact. More likely, even if a lot of money is spent, there is probably no way to preserve it completely.
▲ Ivory of Jinsha Site
Finally, after discussion and research, archaeologists decided to stop digging all ivory in the middle of the excavation, and many ivory that had been found were backfilled on the spot. This decision is also to better protect these ivory. Off-topic, this is the biggest difference between archaeological excavation and grave robbery. The ultimate goal of grave robbery is to get money, and grave robbers don't pay attention to preserving these cultural relics at all. The main purpose of archaeological excavation is protection and research. Archaeologists prefer to bury these ivory in situ, but can't ensure that they can be preserved.
▲ Expert archaeological photos
There are tons of ivory in Jinsha site, and the mystery brought by these ivory has never been solved. These mysteries are only a small part of the Jinsha site, and the whole Jinsha site is full of mysteries. Of course, these mysteries are mainly because people know too little about the history and customs of that era. In the absence of ancient records, we can only rely on archaeological work to understand history.
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It is very important to protect a cultural relic in the study of archaeological work. If it is wantonly destroyed, it is undoubtedly destroying history. So archaeologists treat these ivory very carefully. Compared with 20 years ago, archaeological technology and science and technology have been greatly improved. In the near future, the work of archaeologists will be helped by more advanced instruments. At present, there are a lot of unexplored areas in Jinsha site, and maybe there will be more amazing discoveries one day.