Bronze Figure With Animal Headdress, List#2

Suzanne Cahill

One of the things about this figure that's really striking is just how alien it looks. And how very confusing it is for us to look at it and try to make sense of it. And of course, when we do that, we pull upon whatever images are familiar that we may have in our memories, like a vacuum cleaner. This thing looks like it's got a vacuum cleaner on its head ... And the other reaction that people often have is It's gotta be like some kind of space alien. Because it sure doesn't look human.

Narrator

Some researchers believe this figure is a priest or shaman. The large hole in the headdress likely displayed feathers or another decorative element. Suzanne Cahill One of the things that is common at this site is these kind of composite creatures that are part human, and part something else. It could be suggesting that this person or this being, maybe a deity even, has powers that are partly human, but also has additional powers that maybe are represented by certain animals.

Narrator

This is consistent with Chinese cultures elsewhere at the time. Before this site was discovered, the common thinking was that all Chinese culture flowed from the Central Plain, 500 miles away from Sanxingdui. In fact that area is known as the "cradle of Chinese civilization". But now, thanks to these discoveries, that idea has to be reexamined. To learn why, press play.