Hatband For Crown List # 73

Narrator

This band is presumed to be a crown. It's the right size and shape. Suzanne Cahill We know that headgear was a very important part of the civilization at both of these sites. A lot of the figures are depicted wearing hats.

Narrator

Look closely at the enlarged drawing of the design. It features an arrow passing by a bird to hit the forehead of a fish. Both animals are commonly seen at Sanxingdui and Jinsha.

Narrator

To make the band, the gold was pounded flat and then incised with the design. Gold has always been a valuable metal, but it's rarely used in the cultures of China and we don't know why it was used here. Whatever its purpose, it surely was valuable.

Suzanne Cahill

It's very beautifully executed. In fact, the technical quality is quite excellent. And one of the things that's especially striking about Sanxingdui, is that it just seems to come out of nowhere. It's like nobody thought anything was in these places, except for maybe some pots or something. And then suddenly they dig up this completely developed civilization with full-fledged bronze technology and sophisticated gold work.

Narrator

Cultures don't just appear, fully formed. They evolve over time. There must have been an earlier, more primitive era of the Sanxingdui culture. Their technical expertise in bronzework and goldsmithing alone seems to suggest it. But no similar cultures have been found. Scholars believe any earlier settlements may have washed away in floods – the very reason these people may have left the area for good.