The Jinsha Site: An Introduction

Abstract

This paper introduces the recently discovered site at Jinsha in the western suburbs of Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province. In 2001, hundreds of objects of gold, bronze, jade, stone, and other materials were unearthed at Jinsha, and subsequent fieldwork has revealed that the site was a major settlement of the late Shang and Western Zhou periods, occupying an area of 3 sq km and following in date the famous Sanxingdui site. This paper situates the Jinsha site in its geographic and natural environment, discusses previous excavations in the area, describes the major localities and associated finds at the site, and analyzes the chronology and cultural classification of the site as well as the archaeological significance of its discovery. This is the first survey of the Jinsha site in English.