Six "sacrificial pits", dating back to 3,200 to 4,000 years, were newly discovered in Sanxingdui site in Guanghan, Sichuan province, as per a news conference in Chengdu, Sichuan provincial capital, on Saturday.

Over 500 artifacts, including gold masks, bronzewares, ivories, jades, textiles, among other varieties were unearthed from the site.

Sanxingdui site, first found in 1929, is generally considered as one of most important archaeological sites along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. However, large-scale excavation on the site only began in 1986, when two pits--widely believed for sacrificial ceremonies--were accidentally discovered. Over 1,000 artifacts, featuring abundant bronzewares with exotic appearances and gold artifacts indicating power, were found at that time.

Investigation in the area around No 1 and No 2 was relaunched in October 2019, following an academic project to have a better understanding of ancient civilization in Sichuan region, and No 3 pit was found in December 2019, according to Lei Yu, a researcher of Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute who heads the ongoing excavation. Thirty-four research universities and research institutes have cooperated in this interdisciplinary project.

More excavation followed in March 2020, and five more pits were found last year. And detailed research began in October. Excavation capsules with hi-tech equipment were set up in the pits to better conserve the site.

The biggest pit among the six is 19 square meters, and the smallest is 3.5 square meters. Some unearthed artifacts echo previous findings in 1986 like bronze masks, divine trees, and jades, but previously unknown artifacts keep popping up. As Lei said shapes of some large-size bronze ware had never been seen.

Other than masks, the gold artifacts also include gold foils, decorative pieces in shape of birds. Ivory and bone sculptures as well as silk were also found. Another key finding was cong, a typical jade artifact variety in Liangzhu Culture, dating back to 4,300 to 5,300 years ago, in Zhejiang province, and was later spread to rest of China.

Lei said the new discoveries will help to better understand many unexplained findings in 1986, and the similar shapes and findings in the eight pits--being smashed and burned--basically make sure their function should be "sacrificial pits", though previous speculations still varied.

Sanxingdui site covers an area of 12 square kilometers, and its core zone of an ancient city covers 3.6 square kilometers. According to the National Cultural Heritage Administration, studies of Sanxingdui site will become a pivotal project in an ongoing program Archaeology China, which tries to explain the origins of Chinese civilization and how diverse cultures communicate and come together.

Six "sacrificial pits", dating back to 3,200 to 4,000 years, were newly discovered in Sanxingdui site in Guanghan, Sichuan province, as per a news conference in Chengdu, Sichuan provincial capital, on Saturday.

Over 500 artifacts, including gold masks, bronzewares, ivories, jades, textiles, among other varieties were unearthed from the site.

Sanxingdui site, first found in 1929, is generally considered as one of most important archaeological sites along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. However, large-scale excavation on the site only began in 1986, when two pits--widely believed for sacrificial ceremonies--were accidentally discovered. Over 1,000 artifacts, featuring abundant bronzewares with exotic appearances and gold artifacts indicating power, were found at that time.