UESTC aids archaeological excavation with advanced technology

Cultural relics unearthed at an ancient battle site in Pengshan, Sichuan province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A detection team led by the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) successfully helped archaeologists in Sichuan unearth more than 12,000 cultural relics at an ancient battle site in Pengshan, Sichuan province.

The dig started in January in a section of the river that runs through Jiangkou township in Pengshan district. Large amount of gold, silver and bronze coins and jewelry as well as iron weapons such as swords, knives and spears were found. A blunderbuss -- an early firearm -- was also unearthed for the first time in the dig.

The archaeological site in a section of the river that runs through Jiangkou township in Pengshan district, Meishan, Sichuan province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The weapons offered evidence that this spot in the river was where the fleet of Zhang Xianzhong, a rebel leader during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was attacked and destroyed by a Ming general in 1646, two years after the dynasty's demise. Legend has it that Zhang was defeated by the Ming Dynasty soldiers while attempting to transfer his large haul of treasure southward. About 1,000 boats loaded with money and assorted valuable were said to have sunk in the skirmish.

Archaeologists started the excavation in January 2017. More than 30,000 relics were unearthed before the arrival of the flood season last year. The excavation in Jiangkou was listed as one of China's top archaeological finds in 2017.