It is one of China’s oldest metropolises, and archaeologists just found a 3,400-year-old treasure trove at an ancient burial site

Archaeologists unearthed bronzeware from a cemetery that indicates the people buried there were very important

The highlights were pieces of gold that may have been used to cover the faces of the dead

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Shang Dynasty artefacts on display in a Zhengzhou museum. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 6:00pm, 6 Oct 2022

Situated along the Yellow River, Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan in central China, has one of the longest histories of any major metropolis in the country.

For decades, scientists have been excavating a Shang dynasty (1600 – 1046BC) city built underneath Zhengzhou. Earlier this year, archaeologists stumbled upon a treasure trove of artefacts that was one of the more interesting discoveries they have recently found in the area for years, according to an article on China.org.cn.

In late September, the scientists held a press conference to announce recent excavations of a 3,400-year-old burial site that most notably revealed five gold pieces, which the archaeologists think once covered the faces of the people buried there. That being said, the archaeologists do not know for sure what the gold was used for.

A conservator restores an earthenware from relic pieces found in an archaeological discovery in Zhengzhou in 2020. Photo: Getty Images

The gold is particularly intriguing because it would have been considered exotic by Shang dynasty residents.

The reason why recent high-profile golden masks unearthed in Sanxingdui and other Shang dynasty sites are so spectacular is in part because gold was not common for those ancient Chinese societies.

Chen Xingcan, director of the Institute of Archaeology with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told China.org.cn: “The findings may also show a grand picture of cultural communication across the Eurasian grassland. Comparative studies are required to get more clues so that we can develop a much wider lens through which to view the Shang dynasty.”

The cemetery was thought to be for high-ranking people from the Shang dynasty city, as indicated by the presence of bronzeware, which was only used for rituals for important people.

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