Pottery artifacts found at an ancient tomb in Chenzhou City, central China's Hunan Province. /Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of Hunan Province
More than 30 cultural relics have been found in a bunch of ancient tombs in the city of Chenzhou, central China's Hunan Province, the provincial cultural relics and archaeology institute said Sunday.
Excavation work involving the ancient tomb cluster was conducted between June and July, during which 11 tombs and one building site were found in the area.
Based on the shape of the tombs, features of the unearthed objects and inscriptions on the bricks, archaeologists inferred that the tombs were built from the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD) to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and the building site was constructed in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), according to Chen Bin, head of the archaeological project.
So far, artifacts such as pottery, porcelain ware, bronze mirrors, copper hooks and agate beads have been unearthed at the site.
Tiles unearthed at an ancient building site in Chenzhou City, central China's Hunan Province. /Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of Hunan Province
The archeologists believe that the building site was used for sacrificial rites. Meanwhile, the eave tiles found there indicate that the owner of the tomb constructed beside the building site was a person of high status.
"The tomb cluster provides important archaeological data for the study of ancient cities and the cultural development in China. Funeral customs of different dynasties can help us further understand the social background and characteristics of that period," Chen said.