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object 8 Bronze standing figure H 262 cm Late Shang Period (c. 1300-1100 B.C.) From Pit 2 at Sanxingdui, Guanghan, Sichuan Province Excavated in 1986 Sanxingdui Museum, Guanghan

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This figure from Pit 2 at Sanxingdui is one of the most remarkable discoveries of Chinese archaeology. Until it was found, the only other known large-scale human figures were the terracotta soldiers of the First Emperor (Qin Shi Huangdi) (see Terracotta figure of a kneeling archer). With its pedestal, this bronze figure stands over eight feet tall. It had been deliberately broken at the waist before burial and was reassembled by archaeologists.

Decorative elements on the figure's garment are similar to Shang designs, but the figure itself is unique. The body is noticeably elongated, with oversize hands raised to hold an object, possibly an elephant tusk. The figure was buried along with about fifty bronze heads and twenty bronze masks, all with similarly exaggerated features (see Bronze human head with gold leaf).

This may represent a priest wearing a mask, a deity, ancestor, or mythical figure associated with the region. The base, on which the figure stands barefoot, is decorated with four animal heads with exaggerated snouts. Are these elephant heads? Did elephants have a role in a cult centered here? We can only speculate.

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