In the summer of 2018, archaeologists found in the Krasnoshchekovsky district of the Altai Territory fragments of a wooden lacquer product made in Ancient China 2.5 thousand years ago.
Excavations were carried out on the left bank of the river. Inya near the village. Chineta. An expedition of Altai State University worked under the leadership of the head of the department of political history, national and state-confessional relations, Peter Dashkovsky, reports the Department of State Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites of the Altai Territory.
Archaeologists have found the burial of the regional elite of the ancient nomads of Altai, which dates back to the 4th-3rd centuries. BC. The burial mound contained the remains of two people, probably men. Most likely, they had a high social status, as evidenced by the burial of seven horses nearby. Also in the mound were found the remains of a wooden lacquer object, possibly a cup, made in ancient China. On it, the ornament is clearly visible with black paint on red lacquer, applied to a wooden base. Specialists of the State Hermitage will study the unique find.
Photo: ukn22.ru
“The finds of Chinese lacquerware in mounds of the Scythian era in Central Asia are a unique phenomenon. The Chinese import, which would date back to the Scythian era, was previously known due to the study of large elite burial mounds at the burial ground of Pazyryk, Tuekta, Bugry, in which representatives of the upper social stratum of nomads, possibly even rulers, were buried, commented Peter Konstantinovich.
