Over 3,400-yr-old jade, stone "workshop" discovered at China's Sanxingdui

Archaeologists at the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins site have uncovered a jade and stone artifact processing site dating back over 3,400 years, revealing the source of the previously discovered cultural relics there.

Located approximately one kilometer north of the previously unearthed sacrificial pits, this latest discovery marks significant progress in the archaeological excavation at Sanxingdui in southwest China's Sichuan Province, the provincial cultural relics and archaeology research institute said Tuesday, noting that the archaeologists have preliminarily identified this site as a jade and stone production workshop.

The newly found artifacts include raw jade and stone materials, waste materials, fragments and finished pieces, suggesting a relatively complete chain of handicrafts.

"The discovery of the workshop sheds light on several mysteries, such as the origins of the large quantities of jade and stone raw materials found at Sanxingdui, the techniques used in their crafting, the production processes, and the distribution methods involved," said Ran Honglin, who is in charge of the archaeological work at Sanxingdui Ruins site, under the research institute.

Since 2022, over 400 sites have been identified, including high-level building foundations, ash pits, ash ditches, stone artifacts production and processing sites. More than 4,000 artifacts, including pottery, jadeware and stoneware, have been unearthed, according to the research institute.

To date, more than 60,000 cultural relics have been unearthed at Sanxingdui. The new Sanxingdui Museum has attracted over 5 million visitors from around the world since its opening nearly a year ago.

Initially discovered in the late 1920s, the Sanxingdui Ruins have been dubbed one of the world's most significant archaeological finds of the 20th century.

Located in the city of Guanghan, around 60 km from the provincial capital, Chengdu, the ruins covering an area of 12 square km are believed to be the remnants of the Shu Kingdom, dating back some 4,500 to 3,000 years.