The "Top Ten" archaeological discoveries of the Silk Road selected in the “Annual Report of Silk Road Cultural Heritage 2019” are experts from different countries, including Senior Researcher of National Museum of the Philippines Bobby Orillaneda, Director of Uzbek Archaeological Institute Farhad Maskhsudov, Director of the Eurasian Archaeological Institute of the German Archaeological Institute Svend Hansen, Director of the Archaeological Institute of the Underwater Cultural Heritage Protection Center of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage Jiang Bo, Professor of Department of Anthropology at Sun Yat-sen University Liu Wensuo, Director of the Needham Institute Jianjun Mei, Associate Researcher of Institute of Archaeology at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Tong Tao, who selected the findings from more than 100 important archaeological discoveries worldwide. To some extent, it reflects the historical landscape of the exchange of western civilization in the ancient world.

From the point of view of the times, the shortlisted archaeological discoveries and the final "Ten" archaeological discoveries span a long historical span from the prehistoric period, the Bronze Age and the Song and Yuan dynasties. From the geographical point of view, it includes both the Central Plains of China and the Eurasian hinterland, extending westward to the shore of the Black Sea, the Red Sea coast and the Mediterranean world. It is of particular significance that these important archaeological discoveries are basically distributed in the ancient East and West civilization exchanges of civilization exchange routes, both the traditional Silk Road, the Steppe Road, the Southwest Silk Road, and the Maritime Silk Road. There is also an important feature of the same site where ancient times can be seen. The historical landscape of the coexistence, exchange and dialogue of ancient civilization world is of great significance to contemporary research.

1. The Remains of Al Serrian, Saudi Arabia

https://www.lifeofguangzhou.com/wap/knowGZ/content.do?contextId=9031&frontParentCatalogId=175 

The site of Al Serrian is located in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula, on the coast of the Red Sea. The excavation is part of a five-year archaeological cooperation agreement signed in 2016 between the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China and the Saudi Tourism and National Heritage Commission.

The archaeological site of Al Serrian is the first red Sea archaeological project that China has participated in. The excavation of relics has provided information to reveal the history of Al Serrianand its important role in the ancient maritime Silk Road.

2. The Ruins of Mace Aynak, Afghanistan

https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/buddhist-text-0012367 

The Mace Aynak site is an ancient Buddhist paradise at the cultural crossroads that connects Asia and the Mediterranean. The Buddhist remains are widely distributed in various regions with various artistic forms and long duration. At the same time, the temple site was built on top of the copper vein, preserving rich ancient mining remains. Therefore, it is not only an important buddhist center, but also a mineral center, and an important link in the commercial network of the Silk Road in Central Asia. It is a rare and multi-nature human cultural heritage.

3. The Heishanling Turquoise-Mining Sites，China

http://www.silkroads.org.cn/article-17899-1.html 

Located in the triangle of Hami, Loppo and Dunhuang near the Silk Road Road, the The Heishanling Turquoise-Mining Sites is an ancient mining site of turquoise. The discovery of turquoise mining sites in Xinjiang provides clues to explore the sharing relationship and communication mode between the early industrial and inland areas in Xinjiang. At the same time, the mining relics and living relics also showed the industrial production form at that time, enriched the source model of turquoise in China, and provided important clues for exploring the sources of many turquoise stone materials in ancient China.

4、The Ruins of the Ancient City of Piharapur，Bangladesh

http://www.wenbao.net/details.asp?id=10764      

The China-Bangladesh archaeological team excavated the Ancient city of Piharapur in Menghiganj District, Dhaka District, Bangladesh from December 2018 to January 2019. In the past, The ancient city of Piharapur only existed in documents, but now it has been proved through archaeology that the ruins buried deep underground reflect the changes of religious architecture and have the universal value of Buddhist civilization. The ancient city also plays an important role in the cultural exchange between China and Bangladesh.

5、The Ruins of Krasnaya Rishika, Kyrgyzstan

https://finance.sina.com.cn/roll/2019-06-13/doc-ihvhiews8512993.shtml 

The Krasnaya Rishka site is located near Kolasnaya Rishka village, Kant Town, Chu Prefecture, Kyrgyzstan, and is the largest ancient city site in the Chu River valley of Kyrgyzstan. It is an important part of the Central Asian section of the Silk Road, and the Chu River Basin within its territory is the main artery of the northern route of the Silk Road. Joint archaeological research on the Krasnaya Rishka site will help deepen the understanding and research of the history of the Silk Road.

6、Ming-Tepa City Site, Uzbekistan

https://user.guancha.cn/main/content?id=208190&s=fwtjgzwz 

The archaeological project of The Ming-Tepa City Site jointly initiated by China and Uzbekistan has opened a new chapter in the study of the history of the Western Regions and the Silk Road. Its significance is multifaceted: in addition to answering some archaeological and historical questions, it provides examples of sino-foreign scientific cooperation and contemporary sino-Foreign cultural exchanges.

7、The Gol Mod 2 Cemetery, Mongolia

http://hn.ifeng.com/a/20191207/7867890_0.shtml 

In Mongolia's Golemodu no. 2 cemetery, M189 is the oldest, though not the largest.

Mongol Gaolmaodu No. 2 tomb provides valuable first-hand materials for studying the funeral customs of xiongnu nobles and the cultural and material exchanges between the northern grassland and the Central Plains in the Han Dynasty.

8、The Tomb of Devichaskitt, Russia

https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/gold-headdress-0013061 

Known for their bravery and cruelty, the Scythians were active in a vast area from the steppe of southern Russia to Central Asia. They developed complex social structures and unique metal techniques. They were the original masters of the Steppe Road.

9、Tuyuhun Royal Family Murong Zhi Tomb, China

http://www.silkroads.org.cn/article-23399-1.html 

The tomb’s occupant is recorded as Murong Zhi, the Xi King of Tuyuhun, a member of the Tuyuhun royal family during the Tang And Wuzhou dynasties. It is the earliest and best-preserved tomb of the Tuyuhun Royal family found and excavated in China. These cultural relics are not only the physical witness of the Silk Road trade in tang Dynasty, but also the physical witness of the friendly exchanges between Tang Dynasty and Tuyuhun. The discovery of the tomb could help to complete the genealogy of royal families and related historical issues in the late Period of Tuyuhun.

10、The South China SeaⅠSank, China

https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1641160919985854847&wfr=spider&for=pc 

 "South China SeaⅠ" is the best preserved ancient shipwreck China has found so far. It was sunk on the main shipping route from central Guangdong to the West, and also on the maritime Silk Road from ancient China to the Western world. All kinds of unearthed cultural relics not only reflect the superb craftsmanship of the world, which is the economic and cultural center of south China, but also reflect the unique aesthetic preference of the destination and its huge demand for oriental luxuries.