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Ammon News - Archaeologists in China have unearthed a collection of 23 rectangular wooden slips, each measuring about an inch in width and 4 inches in length, featuring Chinese characters associated with the Tiangan Dizhi, an ancient astronomical calendar established during the Shang dynasty (1600 B.C. to 1045 B.C.).

These artifacts were discovered in a remarkably preserved 2,000-year-old tomb in the Wulong district, approximately 870 miles southwest of Beijing. Experts speculate that one slip represented the current year, while the other 22 could specify various years in the ancient calendar, given circular perforations at the edges suggesting they were once tied together.

The purpose and functionality of this calendrical set remain unclear, as circular perforations at the slips' edges indicate they were possibly bound together. This discovery marks the first instance of finding such objects in an ancient tomb, although the practice of inscribing characters on wood or bamboo strips was common in pre-paper China.

The tomb, dating back to 193 B.C. during the Western Han dynasty, represents a well-preserved wooden chamber tomb, described by archaeologist Wang Meng as the best in China's southwest.

Moreover, it yielded over 600 cultural artifacts, including lacquerware bowls, boxes, jars, and plates, along with bamboo utensils, musical pipes, copper-made spears and cooking tripods, wooden figurines, and various pottery and bronze objects.

Project leader Huang Wei considers this discovery, part of China's "golden age," a period during the Western and Eastern Han dynasties (206 B.C. to A.D. 220), as instrumental in establishing many Chinese traditions.


Science Times