Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries Related to Silk Road in 2020 Unveiled

Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries Related to Silk Road in 2020 Unveiled

安阳石棺床墓入选2020丝绸之路文化遗产十大考古新发现

 

On June 18, the Annual Report on Silk Road Cultural Heritage 2020 compiled by the Silk Road Archaeological Specialized Committee of the Archaeological Society of China and the China National Silk Museum was released at the opening of "2021 Silk Road Week" held in Hangzhou. Among the top 10 archaeological discoveries related to the Silk Road was a tomb with a white marble coffin bed discovered in Anyang city of Henan province.

6月18日，2021丝绸之路周主场活动在中国丝绸博物馆举行，期间，中国考古学会丝绸之路考古专业委员会和中国丝绸博物馆作为《2020丝绸之路文化遗产年报》考古发现的联合发布单位，共同发布2020丝绸之路十大考古发现。其中，安阳石棺床墓入选2020丝绸之路文化遗产十大考古新发现。这是我省唯一入选的文化遗产。

A white marble coffin bed was unearthed from a Sui Dynasty (581-618) tomb in Anyang, Central China's Henan province. [Photo provided to Henan Daily]

In May 2020, a large and well-organized Sui Dynasty (581-618) tomb with a white marble coffin bed was unearthed in Anyang, which is of great significance to the research on ethnic and religious integration and the art of calligraphy during the Sui Dynasty by its valuable materials with excellent masonry and carving techniques, experts said.

2020年5月，一座规模较大、布局严谨的隋代汉白玉石棺床墓在安阳市被发现。专家表示，该墓砌筑和雕刻技术高超，为研究隋代美术工艺提供了新的实物资料，对研究民族及宗教融合具有重要意义。

Exquisite white Xiangzhou kiln porcelains were unearthed from a Sui Dynasty (581-618) tomb in Anyang, Central China's Henan province. [Photo provided to Henan Daily]

Living in Longxi county (of Gansu province) as one of the main stops on the Silk Road, the Qu family, including the tomb owner Qu Qing, were deeply influenced by European, West Asian and Central Asian cultures. The discovery of the coffin bed and dozens of relief patterns carved in Buddhist and Zoroastrian styles is a witness to the exchanges and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations along the Silk Road.

以墓主人麴庆为代表的麴氏家族长期生活在陇西地区，占据丝绸之路要道，深受欧洲、西亚、中亚等文化影响。墓内石棺床及数十幅佛教、祆教色彩深厚的浮雕图案的发现，是丝绸之路上东西方文明交流互鉴的历史见证。

 

Meanwhile, a large number of exquisite white Xiangzhou kiln porcelains were unearthed at the site, which have provided valuable materials for the research on the origin and development of Chinese white porcelains as the evidence of the high production level of Xiangzhou kilns during the Sui Dynasty, according to Kong Deming, head of Anyang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and vice-director of Anyang Bureau of Cultural Relics.

此外，墓内还出土了数量大、种类多、制作精美的相州窑白瓷器。安阳市文物考古研究所所长、安阳市文物局副局长孔德铭表示，这展示了隋代安阳相州窑高超的瓷器烧制水平，填补了相州窑瓷器研究的空白，为中国白瓷的起源与发展提供了宝贵的实物资料。（中文来源/河南日报 翻译/赵汉青 审校/丁岚）