Social Structure Indicated by the Distribution of Bronze Resources in the Sanxingdui Culture (ca. 3200–3000 BP), Southwest China

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Resources and Society in Ancient China" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Bronze was one the most precious resources for the Sanxingdui culture in southwest China, and the distribution of bronze resources reflected the social structure of Sanxingdui culture. This paper investigates the latest artifacts excavated from the eight burial pits at the Sanxingdui sacrificial site, and through cross-pit match of artifacts, classification of prototypes of artifacts, and observation of the relative location of the pits, the bronzes are divided into two groups, which means the bronzes originally had been displayed in two contemporary temples housing different activities. The type and number of bronzes owned by the temple that recorded the ruler's sacrificial activities far exceeded that of the temple recording the ruler's daily ritual activities, manifesting an extraordinary enthusiasm of Sanxingdui people for sacred rituals, and thus the social structure of Sanxingdui, in which divine power excelled over secular power, can be recovered.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Resources and Society in Ancient China   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38414.0