(ECNS) -- Chinese researchers have confirmed that iron fragments unearthed at the Sanxingdui Ruins in southwest China were made of pure meteoritic iron, providing new evidence for the study of early iron use in ancient China.
According to Li Haichao, professor from Sichuan University, three heavily corroded fragments discovered in Pit No. 7 at the Sanxingdui Ruins appear to have originally formed shape of an axe or ceremonial weapon. Carbon dating showed that the meteoritic iron artifact dates back to the late Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC).
Located in southwest China's Sichuan Province, the Sanxingdui Ruins are widely believed to be the remnants of the Shu Kingdom in ancient China, dating back 4,500 to 3,000 years.
The discovery expands the known geographical range of meteoritic iron use in ancient China from the Yellow River basin to the upper Yangtze River region in today's Sichuan Basin, filling a major gap in the history of early iron use in southwestern China.
The findings were recently published in the academic journal Archaeological Research in Asia by a joint research team from the School of Archaeology and Museology of Sichuan University and Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.
Meteoritic iron is a naturally occurring iron-nickel alloy from outer space. Before humans mastered iron smelting technology, it was the only naturally available metallic iron accessible to ancient civilizations and was often associated with religious, political, or ritual significance.
Researchers believe people during the Shang Dynasty may have regarded the meteorite as a precious gift from the sky and crafted it into a ceremonial object. Based on the nature of the sacrificial pits at Sanxingdui and other artifacts excavated from the same layer, the team suggested the object may have served as a ritual weapon. Due to its hardness, it may also have been used in bronze processing.
(By Gong Weiwei)
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