The First Discovery of Dashi Tomb

1In the spring of 975, the "Joint Archaeological Investigation Team of Anning River Basin in Sichuan Province", composed of the History Department of Sichuan University, Sichuan Provincial Museum and Xichang County Museum, was formally established in Xichang City. When they first came to Anning Valley in southwest Sichuan, the archaeological team first discovered this huge stone pile, which made them think it was a Neolithic site. When cleaning up the soil in the pit, the first thing that caught their eye was some sand-red pottery fragments. Next, archaeologists found some scattered bones here. After a preliminary judgment, they decided that it was a human skeleton. The appearance of human bones may indicate that it is not the foundation of architectural relics, but a precious ancient tomb.

In archaeology, the types of tombs include masonry tombs, pit tombs, cremation tombs, cliff burials and sarcophagus burials. However, this tomb was built with big stones as the main carrier, and the top of the tomb was covered with big stones, so the archaeological team named this tomb Dashi Tomb.

Xichang is located in the southwest of Sichuan Province, China. As early as the Qin and Han Dynasties, it was once an important political and center in the southwest of China. As the junction of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, it is also the only place where the ancient Southern Silk Road passed.

With the discovery of Dashi Tomb, the focus of the archaeological team shifted from the excavation of Neolithic sites to the investigation and study of Dashi Tomb. It was also from that day that the archaeological work of stone tombs in Anning River Basin began.