What did a 5,000-year-old jade mask look like?

"This jade mask is a kind of funeral jade. The ancients had the custom of covering their faces when they were buried, so it is called 'jade covering'. It refers to a kind of ornament made of various jade materials corresponding to human facial features and other facial features. It is embellished on textiles and covered on the face of the deceased or the corresponding part of the face of the deceased during burial." On December 1, Zhu Guanghua, associate professor of the School of History at Capital Normal University and project leader of the Yongcheng Wangzhuang Ruins, said in an interview with reporters.

The "jade mask" unearthed from the Wangzhuang site. Photo provided by the archaeological team

The Wangzhuang site is located in Caolou Village, Miaoqiao Town, about 13 kilometers east of Yongcheng City, Shangqiu City, with an area of ​​630,000 square meters. With the approval of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, from April to December 2023, a joint archaeological team composed of Capital Normal University, Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Shangqiu Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology will conduct formal archaeological excavations on the site. In 2023, a "jade mask" was discovered in Tomb IV M6 ​​of the Wangzhuang site in Yongcheng, which can be traced back to the middle and late Dawenkou culture of the Neolithic Age, about 5,000 years ago.

Zhu Guanghua said that the "jade mask" unearthed from the Wangzhuang site is composed of more than 30 jade artifacts and turquoise pieces. Among them, the left and right eye sockets are covered with two jade bi disks, and there is also a small jade bi disk on each side of the skull. The components of the jade mask have perforations. It is speculated that it may be sewn on the cloth and covered on the head of the tomb owner. The material of this jade mask is delicate and warm in color. The color of the jade is mainly white and blue; some components use turquoise, which is bright in color and contrasts with the jade, increasing its beauty. According to the shape and size requirements of each component of the "jade mask", the jade raw materials are cut into corresponding blanks, and then the blanks are carved to make each component. The carving needs to be very regular and the surface is polished smooth. It is necessary to use a small drill bit to drill holes on the jade piece, and then perforate the holes to decorate the components together, arrange and design according to the position and size of the perforations, and finally decorate on the textiles to form a complete "jade mask". This "jade face covering" is the source of the "jade face covering" of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the gold-thread jade burial suit of the Han Dynasty. It has rewritten the history of "jade face covering" in China and found the source of the ancient Chinese jade burial culture.

The jade mask is made with exquisite craftsmanship. As an important part of ancient funeral culture, its excavation provides precious physical materials for studying ancient funeral customs and ritual systems. Through the study of the jade mask, we can understand the ancient people's understanding and attitude towards death, as well as the behavior and norms in funeral ceremonies. At the same time, it also provides an important reference for studying the production technology of ancient jade and revealing the structure and class differentiation of ancient society.

Many "jade masks" have been unearthed in archaeological excavations in my country. For example, some jade combinations similar to "jade masks" were found in the Taosi site in Xiangfen, Shanxi Province during the Neolithic Age. The "jade mask" unearthed from the Jincun Tomb in Luoyang, Henan Province during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period consisted of 26 pieces of jade.