Scientists discover 3,000-year-old silk at China’s mysterious Sanxingdui ruins

Archaeologists believe the silk – the first found at enigmatic Sichuan site – was used in rituals to ‘communicate between heaven and earth’

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Scientists have found traces of silk attached to bronze and jade items unearthed from sacrificial pits at the Sanxingdui site in Sichuan province. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Published: 7:01pm, 10 Dec 2024Updated: 7:56pm, 10 Dec 2024

Chinese archaeologists say they have discovered silk at the Sanxingdui ruins for the first time, and they believe the treasured textile was used 3,000 years ago in rituals to “communicate between heaven and earth”.

According to the researchers, the discovery sheds light on the cultural origins of silk and the religious beliefs of the ancient Shu people, who lived in what is now Sichuan province.

“The presence of silk residues detected in the Sanxingdui sacrificial pits … provides archaeological evidence of the Southwest Silk Road, confirming that silk was already used in the ancient Shu state more than 3,000 years ago,” the team wrote in an article published in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports last month.

The team includes researchers from the China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou, the Sanxingdui Research Institute and the Sanxingdui Museum in Sichuan.

Silk, a precious commodity in China, was instrumental in the creation of the Silk Road – the first global trade route linking China with the West, through which ancient peoples exchanged merchandise, knowledge and culture.

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Sanxingdui, the capital of the ancient Shu state, had a long history of silkworm cultivation, or sericulture, and silk weaving – industries that were vital to its economy. The researchers noted that many historical records about sericulture in ancient China mention Shu state.