Page 212 - The Golden Age of Chinese Archaeology: Celebrated Discoveries from the People’s Republic of China

66

66 Bronze human head with gold leaf
side
Height 48.5 (19 Vs)
Late Shang Period (?) (c. 1300-1100 BCE?)
From Pit 2 at Sanxingdui, Guanghan,
Sichuan Province
Sanxingdui Museum, Guanghan, Sichuan Province

67

Bronze human head with gold leaf (flat top)
3
Height 42.5 (16 A)
Late Shang Period (?) (c. 1300-1100 BCE?)
From Pit 2 at Sanxingdui, Guanghan,
Sichuan Province
Sanxingdui Museum, Guanghan, Sichuan Province

68

Bronze human head with hair ornament

Height 49.4 (19 Vs)
Late Shang Period (?) (c. 1300-1100 BCE?)
From Pit 2 at Sanxingdui, Guanghan,
Sichuan Province

Sanxingdui Museum, Guanghan, Sichuan Province

The head of the standing figure (cat. 65) mirrors
the features of most of the fifty-four bronze heads
found in the two Sanxingdui pits. Those that have
been documented fall into a range of 36 to 49
centimeters in height, roughly approximating the
head of the standing figure. The heads have several
features in common: broad, slanted brows; almond-
shaped eyes with a median ridge; a pronounced
nose, with cheeklines extending to each side; a
tightly closed, straight mouth; a square jaw; and
squared ears with holes for earrings. Several exam-
ples are smaller (ranging from 13 to 29 centimeters
in height) but retain the basic physiognomy.
The heads may be distinguished as various
"types" on the basis of their headgear. The most
common type (no fewer than thirty-eight examples

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