Nungali

' Unknown' Bronze Age Culture

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A previously unknown Bronze Age culture . Now believed to be the site of a major  city. A Bronze Age culture which was first discovered in 1929 and then re-discovered in 1986..  dated as being from the 12th-11th centuries BCE.

 

What place would you attribute this style to ?

 

220px-Gold_Mask_(%E9%BB%84%E9%87%91%E9%9          240px-Sanxingdui_Oct_2007_593.jpg

 

 

img_7017.jpg

 

 

Sanxingduimask23.jpg

 

 

 

Spoiler

Sānxīngduī; literally: "three stars mound") is the name of a previously unknown Bronze Age culture . Sanxingdui is now believed to be the site of a major ancient Chinese city in what is now Sichuan, China.   Archeologists are identifying it with the ancient kingdom of Shu .

 

The discovery of the artifacts opened up a world of intrigue. The objects found in the sacrificial pits included animal-faced sculptures and masks with dragon ears, open mouths and grinning teeth; human-like heads with gold foil masks; decorative animals including dragons, snakes, and birds; a giant wand, a sacrificial altar, a 4-metre tall bronze tree; axes, tablets, rings, knives, and hundreds of other unique items. Among the collection was also the world’s largest and best preserved bronze upright human figure, measuring 2.62 metres (8 feet).

 

sacrificial-altar-four-legged-animals.jp

A sacrificial altar with several four-legged animals at the base to support a few bronze figures closely resembling the large face masks, each holding in outstretched hands a ceremonial offering of some sort.

 

Researchers were astonished to find an artistic style that was completely unknown in the history of Chinese art, whose baseline had been the history and artifacts of the Yellow River civilisation(s).

 

No similar find has been made anywhere else, and there are no inscriptions at the Sanxingdui site to shed light on its culture, which was apparently a distinctive Bronze Age civilisation, unrecorded in historical texts and previously unknown. The discovery contributed to a fundamental shift from the traditional understanding of a single centre of civilisation in north China to the recognition of the existence of multiple regional traditions, of which Sichuan was clearly one of the most distinct.

 

http://www.ancient-origins.net/unexplained-phenomena/mysterious-ancient-artefacts-sanxingdui-have-rewritten-chinese-history-001495

 

But why move / abandon  a well developed site, virtually 'overnight'   ?  ( As usual, the answer seems, in nearly all cases,  a sudden lack of water - the prime necessity of settlement )  .

 

https://www.livescience.com/49247-chinese-civilization-disappearance-explained.html

 

 

 

 

Edited by Nungali
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That's a tricky one for me.  At quick view I would guess Native South American but I know that's not possible.

 

Interesting you posted this yesterday as this morning I noticed the following article in the news:

 

 

Israeli archaeologists announced Sunday they have uncovered a rare site dating back some half a million years -- just next to a modern highway and only several metres underground.
 
Archaeologists envision the site at Jaljulia, northeast of Tel Aviv, as a sort of "paradise" for prehistoric hunter-gatherers, with a stream, vegetation and an abundance of animals.
 
They have uncovered hundreds of flint handaxes as part of the dig just next to Route 6, one of Israel's busiest highways, the Israel Antiquities Authority said.
 
"It's hard to believe that between Jaljulia and highway 6, five metres below the surface, an ancient landscape some half of a million years old has been so amazingly preserved," Ran Barkai, head of Tel Aviv University's archaeology department, which participated in the dig, said in a statement.

He added that "for people, it was like a paradise, so they came here again and again."
 
The site is associated with homo erectus, a direct ancestor of today's humans.
 
The dig began at the site squeezed between Jaljulia and the highway because of construction plans for the area, which required archaeological approval beforehand, the antiquities authority said.
 
According to the authority, prehistoric humans may have returned to the area as part of a seasonal cycle.
 
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I had seen them before so I knew there chinese,

but the first time I saw them my association was somehow related to South American, but so much different that it must have been found somewhere else.

 

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Yeah, it seems South America never had a bronze age.  Gold, silver, and copper were mainly used for making ornaments. 

 

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1 hour ago, Stosh said:

I did an image search ;)

 

 

 

Spoiler

all you had to do was open the spoiler  ;)

 

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3 hours ago, Nungali said:

 

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

all you had to do was open the spoiler  ;)

 

Didn't see that. 

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The first mask-like image struck me as part African, part Cirque de Soleil. 

 

They had some amazing artistic skills.  I wish the pictures had something so we could reference the sizes of the objects.  That eye popping mask is also

22 hours ago, Nungali said:

A previously unknown Bronze Age culture .

What place would you attribute this style to ?

 

220px-Gold_Mask_(%E9%BB%84%E9%87%91%E9%9         

 

 

img_7017.jpg

 

 

interesting, shades of Hermes, god of optometry. 

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On 1/8/2018 at 0:13 PM, Nungali said:

Among the collection was also the world’s largest and best preserved bronze upright human figure, measuring 2.62 metres (8 feet).

20 hours ago, thelerner said:

 

 

They had some amazing artistic skills.  I wish the pictures had something so we could reference the sizes of the objects. 

 

 

f-sanxingdui-b-20141020.jpg

 

e81a8f5c090d4fc8a0fd5422bc0ba393.jpg

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see here:

 

 

I went to the San Xing Dui museum in china...  my wife and her brother were both confused by my request to see this as they didn't know about it...  I took lots of pictures... and bought one ornament to open beer tops... 

 

In short:  There is a mountain separating the tribe from the Ba, an eastern state of modern Sichuan.  There is almost no reference to SXD but in poems, there is allusion to such a people. 

 

 

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For many ancient peoples , its all in the poems / songs ; their history, travels, survival skills, ancestry and relations,  travel maps,  esoteric and initiatory knowledge  .....  etc . 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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On 1/7/2018 at 5:13 PM, Nungali said:

 

What place would you attribute this style to ?

 

220px-Gold_Mask_(%E9%BB%84%E9%87%91%E9%9          240px-Sanxingdui_Oct_2007_593.jpg

 

 

img_7017.jpg

 

 

Sanxingduimask23.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reminds me of Vancouver Museum of Anthropology the totem poles of native indians.

Totem Poles

Pictures

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Excelent. Sanxingdui is the inspiration for Tristar qigong/taiji. I thought of nagas ie, reppies as being behind it all, but as above there seems some parallel with north american tribal work, and no doubt others.

 

The Tristar form takes inspiration for qigong infused taiji from postures represented by statues, esp the hamsasya mudra--connecting thumb (lung) and forefinger (sm intestine).Standing-Figure.jpg

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On 1/7/2018 at 8:13 PM, Nungali said:

A previously unknown Bronze Age culture . Now believed to be the site of a major  city. A Bronze Age culture which was first discovered in 1929 and then re-discovered in 1986..  dated as being from the 12th-11th centuries BCE.

 

What place would you attribute this style to ?

 

220px-Gold_Mask_(%E9%BB%84%E9%87%91%E9%9          240px-Sanxingdui_Oct_2007_593.jpg

 

 

img_7017.jpg

 

 

Sanxingduimask23.jpg

 

 

Looks a lot like American Northwest Indian ... second guess is Japanese shamanic.

 

Wait. 

 

African!

Edited by Starjumper

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On 1/12/2018 at 9:00 PM, Astral Monk said:

Excelent. Sanxingdui is the inspiration for Tristar qigong/taiji. I thought of nagas ie, reppies as being behind it all, but as above there seems some parallel with north american tribal work, .Standing-Figure.jpg

I'm under the impression this one is called Aku. 

Most famous for being the enemy of Samurai Jack. 

seriously, the artists of Samurai Jack (Like Avatar: The last airbender series) took there history and archetypes seriously.   No coincidence their artwork is found in real life.  <taken from
https://volfeyed.deviantart.com/art/Aku-Mr-Sunshine-1215385925a7f6def384be_ScreenShot2018-02-10at4_09_55PM.png.57fc2de50cea37a90c9fad2b42dabeff.png

 

seriouser,

I'd love to see these artifacts side by side with photos of similar ones from other world cultures. 

Edited by thelerner

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2 hours ago, thelerner said:

 

I'd love to see these artifacts side by side with photos of similar ones from other world cultures. 

 

I bet they were impressive when all new and shiny!!

 

8)

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