Sheath For A Staff List # 41

Narrator

This thin cylinder of gold was the most striking find. Originally, it would have been wrapped around a wooden shaft – residue of burnt and decomposed wood were found inside—and used as a walking stick.

Suzanne Cahill

The staff is a universal symbol of authority that we see all over the ancient world. For example, the pharaohs of ancient Egypt carry staffs, and we see those in ancient Egyptian sculptures. And similarly this staff might have been something that would be carried by an authority figure, such as a king or a priest.

Narrator

The design on the walking stick and crown --seen here [SFX],-- are as the closest thing to writing found at Sanxingdui and Jinsha. While these pictures can't be translated, the imagery does provide important evidence.

Suzanne Cahill

It's a piece that helps us connect the two sites. And also shows kind of continuity of design, or decorative vocabulary, between the two sites.

Narrator

The band of faces may be a shaman or other person of spiritual authority. Regardless of what they represent, this and other gold pieces at Sanxingdui and Jinsha are monumental feats of goldsmithing.

Who, exactly, were the people who used this walking stick, we may never know. Theories abound, scholarship continues, but one thing is for certain. We will continue to probe the mysteries of Sanxingdui.

Suzanne Cahill

Chinese archeology is completely a work in progress. And with the incredible development that's going on in China right now, things are coming out so fast. And, it wouldn't be very surprising if something turned up tomorrow that answered a lot of the questions we've been asking, or completely blew our theories out of the water.