High-tech will be used to further explore a 3,000-year-old bronze culture at Xingan County in east China's Jiangxi Province. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Archaeological Institute of Jiangxi Province will work together to carry out excavation on the ancient bronze culture with advanced archaeological remote sensing devices in China, according to local government.
     In 1989, more than 470 pieces of bronzeware were unearthed froma grave dating back to the Shang Dynasty (1523-1027 BCE) at Xingan County in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. It proved that a developed bronze culture along the Yangtze coexisted with a bronze culture at the Yellow River. The discovery rewrites Chinese history of ancient civilization and is regarded as one of China's 100 key archaeological findings in 20th century. But protection of the relics site is challenged by frequent human activities and local government has urged archaeologists to excavate the site to avoid further damages, according to the county government.
     Archaeologists will use remote sensing, magnetic field positioning and underground probing technologies to conduct the investigation. Then they will adopt high spectrum aerophotograph and infrared technology to collect information on electric currentand Hertzian waves of the detected area. Through digital processing technology, they can pinpoint tombs or city sites, findout connections between the sites, and perform trial excavation. High resolution of the remote sensing can provides data preciseto decimeters and radar could help get data about two meters underground. Experts believe the high-tech devices could help improve effectiveness of the exploration.

Source: China View (19 April 2005)