Unearthing a 2,000-Year-Old Treasure: The Persian Silver Box in Guangzhou
Imagine finding a treasure that tells stories from 2,000 years ago! 🏺 That’s exactly what happened when archaeologists (scientists who study ancient things) discovered the tomb of Zhao Mo in Guangzhou, a city in southern China.
Zhao Mo was the second ruler of the Nanyue Kingdom. Inside his untouched tomb, explorers found amazing artifacts. Among them was a beautiful silver box decorated with pretty flower designs—this box came all the way from ancient Persia (which is now Iran)!
But that’s not all. They also found ivory from Africa 🐘 and frankincense (a sweet-smelling resin used in perfumes and incense) from the Red Sea area 🌊. These discoveries show that people in Guangzhou were trading with many distant lands over 2,000 years ago. Isn’t that incredible?
This means Guangzhou was like a super old “global trade hub,” connecting East and West long before planes or the internet existed. The Nanyue people were early “global shoppers” and explorers, bridging different civilizations.
Today, when you look at Guangzhou’s modern skyline 🏙️, you can imagine its ancient harbor bustling with traders and ships from all over the world. For over two millennia, Guangzhou has been a gateway between different cultures.
So next time you hear about ancient history, remember the silver box that traveled across deserts, seas, and centuries to tell us its story! 🌍✨
Reference(s):
How a Persian silverware ended up in Guangzhou 2,000 years ago
cgtn.com
