800-year-old chopsticks — and elaborate porcelain — found in China tomb. Take a look
There are very few items that have stayed exactly the same for centuries.
Socks, which first appeared in Egypt around 250 A.D., went from having split toes to be worn with sandals to the single pocket we know today.
The first sunglasses were crafted by the Inuit in prehistoric times by carving slits into walrus ivory, but they would be completely unrecognizable today compared to those manufactured by Ray-Ban or Costa.
But one thing hasn’t changed — chopsticks.
During the construction of an educational area in south-central China, members of the public reported what they believed to be the remains of a tomb underground, according to a Sept. 11 news release from the Guanghan Cultural Relics Protection Research Institute.
When archaeologists arrived, they found the tomb with a caved-in roof, and the inside was filled with fallen stones and soil, according to the release.
The rectangular tomb was made from stone with a main chamber for the body and a smaller chamber on one end for any objects accompanying the burial, officials said.
As they excavated the tomb they found that it was relatively intact, and that the tomb’s funerary objects were also preserved inside, officials said.
Inside, archaeologists found two pieces of bronzeware, six pieces of porcelain, one piece of pottery and square bricks, according to the release.
The porcelain came in two styles, officials said, either blue or green.
Two bottles were made from blue and white porcelain with a lotus petal opening, an open mouth, S-shaped ears on both sides, and exposed feet, archaeologists said.
Another piece was a three-legged celadon furnace, a type of porcelain that would have been covered in a jade green glaze. There was a cloud pattern on the side with a lotus petal pattern on the lower section, archaeologists said.
Also with the funerary items was a set of copper chopsticks, according to the release.
The two identical pieces were slightly thicker on one end and are just over 10 inches long, officials said.
The tomb itself was dated to the late southern Song Dynasty, from 1127 to 1279, or about 800 years ago, according to the release.
Chopsticks are estimated to have been invented sometime around 1200 B.C., making them more than 3,000 years old. By 500 A.D., the technology had spread from their Chinese origin into other parts of the Asian continent, including Vietnam and Japan, according to History.
Archaeologists said finding porcelain of this style in such good condition is rare for the region, according to the release, and this discovery will help fill the knowledge gaps of burials during the southern Song Dynasty in the Deyang area.
The tomb was found in Guanghan, a city outside Deyang in the Sichuan province in south-central China.
Baidu Translate was used to translate the news release from the Guanghan Cultural Relics Protection Research Institute.
This story was originally published September 13, 2024 at 10:58 AM with the headline "800-year-old chopsticks — and elaborate porcelain — found in China tomb. Take a look."
