Academic Research and Archaeological News

Lost Civilisation In China [Mummies and Tombs Discovered]

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:52:08 +0000

Here is an article regarding the lost Loulan Kingdom in Xinjiang, now named as the Xiaohe Tomb complex. The Sand Dune Forgotten By Time
The civilisation is lost without a historical trace. Did any Chinese historical texts mention about this forgotten civilisation?

Ancient Guanyin statue returns home,honored as the "mascot of Yunnan

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:36:14 +0000

Quote

Ancient Guanyin statue returns home
http://news.xinhuane.../c_13463752.htm

BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- A precious gilt bronze statue of the guanyin was recently returned to China after a purchase from an American collector.

After four years of tracking it down, the national treasure that was taken overseas 80 years ago is finally coming home.

The style of the image was quite different from it of Tang and Song Dynasty, which existed the same period in history in central and north China. It does, however, look similar to those from Southeast Asia. It is the earliest guanyin statue found in Yunnan Province, and is honored as the "mascot of Yunnan."

Four years ago, the local cultural relics department got the clue about the statue's whereabouts. From the UK to the United States, Chinese cultural experts finally bought back the antique from an American collector for 1.59 million yuan.

Such a value can be justified because the image of Acarya Avalo-kites-vara was the most important deity and was deeply worshiped by the rulers and the people of the Nanzhao and Dali Kingdoms some 1000 years ago.

At their pinnacle, the reigns of these kingdoms spanned Southwest China's Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan Provinces, as well as North Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam.

And this half-meter high bronze miniature, which weighs in at three kilograms, is exquisite enough to stand out from the other less than 20 statues found in the world.

Now the statue is settled down in Dali Museum and displayed for public admiration.

(Source: cntv.cn)

Horse bones with tablet of Cyrus cunniform in China

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 21:55:48 +0000

This is not a new discovery, but interest has been renewed with better translations and knowledge of these texts.

From - http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Extracts-of-Cyrus-Cylinder-found-in-China%20/21147

Extracts of Cyrus Cylinder found in China
British Museum curator has identified cuneiform text inscribed on horse bones

LONDON. Two fossilised horse bones with cuneiform inscriptions have been found in China, carved with extracts from the Cyrus Cylinder. They were initially dismissed as fakes because of the improbability of ancient Persian texts turning up in Beijing. But following new research, British Museum (BM) specialist Irving Finkel is now convinced of their authenticity.

This discovery looks set to transform our knowledge about what is arguably the most important surviving cuneiform text, written in the world’s earliest script. Dating from 539BC, the Cyrus Cylinder was ceremonially buried in the walls of Babylon. Its text celebrates the achievements of Cyrus the Great, ruler of the Persian empire. The [original] clay cylinder was excavated by BM archaeologists in 1879 and sent to London, where it is one of the museum’s most important antiquities.

The texts found in China inexplicably have fewer than one in every 20 of the Cyrus text’s cuneiform signs transcribed, although they are in the correct order. The two inscribed bones were donated to the Palace Museum in Beijing in 1985 by Xue Shenwei, an elderly Chinese traditional doctor who died later that year. He said that he had learned about the pair of inscriptions in 1928. He bought the first bone in 1935 and the second in 1940, and named the sellers. Xue acquired them because he thought they were written in an unknown ancient script, presumably from China. In 1966, during the Cultural Revolution, he buried the bones for protection, digging them up later. Chinese scholars who have pursued the story believe that Xue’s account is credible.

In 1983 Xue offered the bones to the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City, which collects inscriptions. It was then that specialists told him they were written in cuneiform. It was not until two years later, when Xue donated the objects, that specialist Wu Yuhong realised that the text of the first bone came from the Cyrus proclamation (the text of the second was not identified).

See above for complete article.

Han tomb structures?

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 09:30:24 +0000

These were seen in a shop in Southeast Asia and look very much like the Han stamped clay tomb lintels at Chicago's Art Institute.

Thanks if anyone can identify and elaborate.

KLdome

Another picture

Top, broken off.

Things Chinese people lost and rediscovered

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:09:52 +0000

I'm talking about things like oracle bone script and scripts before those that weren't even made known until archaeologists dug into the ground and lifted the artifacts. What did the Chinese scholarship have to say about the invention of Chinese script before the discovery of the oracle bone script? I think there are other things too like with the unearthing of the bronzes Chinese people then discovered that in the past they had very barbaric religions which made use of these widely distributed ritual bronze vessels and conducted sacrifices in honor of whatever the deity happens to be worshiped at the time and now there are evidences that the Shang burials included human sacrifices even as to pile human bodies up within their rammed earth foundations for various religious monumental buildings. I don't know the extent to which historians in the past detailed out the makings of things like armor but if it weren't for the accidental discovery of the terracotta warriors would Chinese people have known that the Qin army wore armor that were made from lacquered leather and looked as though there was quality management in the mass production of their military gear? What did the Chinese scholarship have to say about the way ancient Chinese prepared and fought in warfare before the discovery of these warring states tombs and mausoleums? I think the discovery of bronze bell musical sets was also fairly recent. How else other than with the discovery of these intact archaeological burials can it be known that ancient Chinese made music apart from stringed or drum type percussion instruments?

NaoAo1

Tue, 25 May 2010 05:06:14 +0000

China is currently salvaging the cargo of a Ming Dynasty era ship called Nan'ao No.1. It was found off the shores of Shantou in Guangdong Province. Thus far, over a 1000 pieces of porcelain have beeen retrieved. It seems these pieces are still in excellent condition.

Is anyone following this story? It is receiving a lot of coverage on CCTV9, second only to the World Expo. Yet, it seems that no one outside the Chinese press corp is covering the salvage operation. (326)

WHEN WILL CHINA EXCAVATE THE QIN TOMB!?!?!?!?

Wed, 19 May 2010 08:11:27 +0000

How long? any official reports? Or is the qin tomb just a legend. My theory is that the chinese govt is trying to hold off the excavation because they are secretly building the qin tomb underground right now

Ancient general's f Cao Xiu tomb found in Mangshan of Luoyang City

Mon, 17 May 2010 14:11:17 +0000

China archeological news in brief
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/culture/2010-05/17/c_13299080.htm

BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The following are highlights of China's archeological news reported Monday:

ANCIENT GENERAL'S TOMB FOUND

Archeologists in central China's Henan Province say they have found the tomb of a noted general from the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 A.D.).

The tomb of Cao Xiu was found in Mengjin County of Luoyang City at the end of last year, said Sun Yingmin, spokesman of the Henan provincial cultural heritage bureau, at a press conference Monday.

The tomb, 50 meters long and 21 meters wide, held chinaware, copperware, liquor cups, and jars as well as some human bones, said Sun.

Tests suggested the bones belonged to a 50-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman, he said.

A bronze seal, about the size of a coin and engraved with Cao Xiu's name revealed the tomb owner's identity, he added.

Cao Xiu is recorded in Chinese history books as a courageous fighter and high-ranking officer. He died of illness in 228, but no record of his birth has been found.

pyramids in north west of xi'an in shaanxi province

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:41:21 +0000

i dont know here is proper place to open this topic but i saw some interesting news here in turkey about pyramids in china
here are some pictures also http://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?aid=-1&view=all&oid=100413353130&s=0&hash=ff797042dc4cebb8d3fec23d32b851ea

do you know anything about it ,or saw that place...

Speaking to A.A, Oktan Keles, a Turkish researcher carrying out studies on the pyramids for some time, said that the ancient mausoleums were of great importance for Turkish history, besides, they had the potential to change the established approaches. "Once the materials inside the pyramids are examined by experts, history could be re-written," Keles said. Keles claimed that several symbols, statues and tablets inside the pyramids might belong to ancient Turks. Keles, who entered a tomb room in the historical structure under the guidance of a local Chinese man, said that he saw "wolf head" figures on a rock, as well as a 3-meter "horned head" statue made of granite which had "crescent and star" carvings. "The Chinese guide told me that the statue represented ancient Turkish leader Oguz Kaan," Keles noted.

The "Chinese Pyramids", located in north-west of Xi'an, on the Qin Chuan Plains in Shaanxi Province, are ancient mausoleums and burial mounds. Believed to be the burial places of various emperors and generals, the pyramids range in size from relatively tiny to rivaling the Great pyramid of Giza, sources say. Interest in Chinese pyramids was greatly increased by the 1994 publication of German author Hartwig Hausdorf's book "Die Weisse Pyramide", later translated into English under the revised title" The Chinese Roswell", in which he briefly describes his travels through China in search of the legendary great white pyramid of China.

A Google Earth map of the Great Wall of China

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:14:30 +0000

I have been asked to show the Great Wall on Google Earth.

Everyone can find it in the Great Wall Forum. You have to register to get it and to accept a copyright notice but it is straight forward.

Be aware, this is only a map of the Ming Great Wall. Which does not mean we don't know where Zhao, Qin, Jin, Han, Chu, Bei Qi, Wei, Zhongshanguo, Yan and other dynasties walls once ran ...

-chinoook