A major archaeological mission in Shaanxi Province has uncovered an imperial workshop from the Western Zhou Dynasty specialized in luxury ivory carvings. The site yielded hundreds of raw elephant tusk fragments and finished ritual ornaments featuring intricate geometric and zoomorphic designs.
Critically, the excavation also recovered a cache of bronze precision-drills and abrasive polishing tools, demonstrating the advanced technical capability of the royal artisans. This discovery confirms that ivory working was a state-controlled industry during the early first millennium BCE, used to produce high-status items that cemented political alliances among the Zhou elite.