(ORDO NEWS) — During excavations in the center of the country, Chinese archaeologists discovered a unique jade object carved in the shape of a cicada. It was found in a tomb dating from the Xia Dynasty (2070-1600 BC).
According to China.org.cn, the discovery was made by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). They examined a 3,000-year-old tomb in Yangshi City, central Henan province. The jade object they found turned out to be small, its length is only four centimeters.
This artifact turned out to be unique as it depicts a cicada. Scientists suggested that the ancient unknown master to create such a product was inspired not only by his own imagination, but also by the amazing life cycle of these insects.
As you know, cicadas lay eggs under the bark or skin of plants. The larvae hatched from them live for a very long time, according to some reports, they spend in this state up to 17 years. During this time, they go through numerous molts, as a result of which wing buds develop in them. The final molt, as a rule, occurs in trees, where the mature larvae climb.
Experts suggest that the jade cicada was the personification of this process. Probably, in those days, the inhabitants of ancient China identified the molting of these insects with a new life after death and considered it a way of communicating with the gods.
The study’s lead author, Zhao Haitao, noted that the jade cicada was just one of the many artifacts found during an examination of the tomb. The found collection of objects has already been recognized as the largest ever research in the region.
“As we continue to clear the tomb to identify objects, it is highly likely that we will make more important discoveries,” Zhao Haitao says. found”.
Callaite is a greenish decorative stone that was used in Europe and Asia for jewelry during the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age. By the way, earlier in another tomb in the same place, a rare artifact was discovered – a dragon made from more than 2,000 callaite stones.
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