China National Silk Museum and the Sichuan Research Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology have confirmed the use of silk in sacrificial rituals by a Bronze Age civilization in the Yangtze River Basin. The findings provide direct archaeological evidence that silk was used as a material during rituals at the Sanxingdui site in Sichuan, China.

The complete analysis revealed that fabrics found in the Sanxingdui pits included silk and that silk residues were partially preserved due to mineralization processes facilitated by copper ions released from bronze artifacts.

Silk traces were found wrapped around jade artifacts and covering the bronze grid-like ware, suggesting their use in ritual contexts. The uneven mineralization of the fibers and the presence of ash-layer silk residues indicated that not all silk was fully incinerated during these rituals.