QuestionsSanxingdui and its sacrificial pitsWhy were the Sanxingdui objects broken, burned and buried?Answer
Answer · Sanxingdui and its sacrificial pits
The objects were ritually retired when a temple was refurbished or the centre moved, and buried with care.
The objects were ritually retired when a temple was refurbished or the centre moved, and buried with care.
Where it stands
Still possibleIts tests haven't settled it: one piece of evidence for, none against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.
What it predicts
- Burial at the end of the site's main phase; continuity of the same objects at Jinsha.
What would rule it out
- Pits filled long before the site's decline, or new objects of the same kind made at Sanxingdui after the pits.
Evidence 1 for · none against
The questions it answers
Most likelyThe objects were offerings, broken and burned in rites and buried in the sacrificial area
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). The objects were ritually retired when a temple was refurbished or the centre moved, and buried with care. [Answer ANS0D739YCM34J6]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0D739YCM34J6
@misc{mysteriesdept_ans0d739ycm34j6,
title = {The objects were ritually retired when a temple was refurbished or the centre moved, and buried with care.},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Answer, catalog key ANS0D739YCM34J6},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0D739YCM34J6}
}