The Jinsha site covers an area of about five square kilometers.
"As far as we can make out after studying more than 2,000 tombs, the life expectancy of people there was about 30 or 40 years," Zhu said.
"Sanxingdui and Jinsha are consistent in cultural traits and they present a unique culture in the world, bronze culture endemic to Sichuan," said Sun, "The sites yielded rare stone and bronze artifacts, including statues of human beings, Gods and animals. They used so many prehistoric jade that some people describe it as ''wild''."
The place revealed by the bulldozer''s blade was a ceremonial site where the ancient people offered sacrifices to the gods. After the rites, they apparently buried the utensils used during the ceremony in a pit. Each pit holds a minimum of ten to 20 utensils but some pits used by high-ranking officials or for particularly important gods have as many as 1,000 objects.
Locals like Zhao Bisong believe it was the ancestors' will that their secret was at last revealed to the world. "The area was previously farmland. If the bulldozer had not tumbled on the biggest sacrificial pit, the site might have slept under high-rises for decades or even centuries," Zhao said.
Archaeologists are optimistic about more exciting finds.
"The gold masks and jade artifacts carry historical information quite different from cultures in other parts of China," said Professor Sun, "Only half of the 16 layers of deposits have been excavated and further exploration will surely provide new surprises."
"Only about one tenth of the sacrificial area has been excavated, and the king's mausoleum, which can be expected to contain a rich store of relics, has not been located," said Zhu. "We really have no idea how many relics are lying underground waiting to be discovered."
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/ezine/2007-07/23/content_5441372.htm