(ECNS)-- A total of 395 pieces of pottery among 1,149 pieces of cultural relics unearthed from Sanxingdui's No. 4 Pit may be related to sacrifice, according to Xu Danyang, person-in-charge of the excavation.
"Four or five pieces of the pottery unearthed are short-collar wengs -- vessels to contain water or grain in ancient time," said Xu, adding that "they should be the first batch of utensils put into the pit.”
These short-collar wengs are no different from pottery in other Sanxingdui Ruins pits, but they have aroused archaeologists' attention, for they were unearthed from Sanxingdui’s No. 4 Pit, believed to be sacrificial in nature.
"Some pieces of pottery are not suited for daily use, so they may have been used in certain special circumstances, including sacrificial rituals," Xu said.
The Sanxingdui Ruins, located in Southwest China's Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province are considered one of the greatest archeological finds in the 20th century. They are believed to be the remnants of the Shu Kingdom, dating back at least 4,800 years and lasting over 2,000 years.
