A bronze ritual vessel found in the Shigushan Tombs.Photo Provided to China Daily

1. Shigushan Tombs of the Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century-771 BC), Baoji, Shaanxi province

Fifteen tombs were unearthed in the southern outskirts of Baoji, containing about 230 articles of cultural significance, including 92 bronze ritual vessels and 26 pieces of epigraphy and family crests.

The tombs are believed to have belonged to ancient tribes in western China, which had adopted the rituals of the royals of the Western Zhou Dynasty.

One of the most precious finds is a set of animal deity-shaped drinking vessels. These are unusual because some of the styles had not previously been found in Baoji and others had never been seen in China before. Their discovery "has rewritten the textbook on bronze ware", says Wang Zhankui, a researcher from the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archeology.

"Different civilizations are seen in the relics like chopsticks are put together with a knife and fork on today's dining table," Wang says. "It offers us the perfect model to study ethnic cultures in the Bronze Age, and adds a splendid chapter to our studies of the politics and historical geography at that time."