Archaeologists found more than 10,000 gold and silver objects dating back three centuries sunk into the riverbed flowing through southwest China’s Sichuan province.
Golden artifacts in riverbed treasure in Sichuan. Photo: Xinhua.
Ancient treasure including a large amount of gold, silver, bronze coins, jewelry along with iron weapons such as knives, swords and spears from the Ming Dynasty was recently discovered in a river in Sichuan province, according to Gao Dalun, director of the Chinese Institute of Archeology and Cultural Relics.
The engraved characters on the gold and silver artifacts remain clear, and the embossed patterns on the jewelry demonstrate exquisite workmanship. The location where the treasure was found is at the intersection of the Dan River and the Jin River, 50 km south of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, Xinhua reported yesterday.
According to archaeologists, the leader of the peasant uprising movement Truong Hien Trung was defeated in this area by the Ming army (1368 – 1644) while trying to transport treasure to the south. About 1,000 boats filled with money and valuables sank during the naval war.
“The objects help us identify the area where the battle took place and are direct evidence of this historical event,” said archaeologist Wang Wei.
Archaeologists used many pumps to continuously suck water from the river, then dug 5 meters deep into the riverbed to search for artifacts.
“The artefacts are of immense value to science, history and art. They are of great importance to the study of politics, economics, military and social life of the Ming Dynasty,” said the author. archaeologist Li Boqian of Peking University commented.
Excavation work will last until April and the archaeological team hopes to find more objects.
