An artifact shaped like a loong, or Chinese dragon, made up of over 2,000 pieces of turquoise was unearthed from an ancient aristocrat's tomb at the Erlitou archaeological site in the Yanshi District of Luoyang City in Henan Province. According to Chinese archaeologists and scholars, Erlitou is a site of China's first dynasty - the Xia Dynasty (2070 BC-1600 BC). The owner of the tomb must have been an important official during the Xia Dynasty, as he was buried in the palace area of the site and was allowed to take many treasures along with him after his death. Measuring around 70 centimeters in length, the loong-shaped relic discovered in the cradle of Chinese civilization is believed to be a national treasure and an example of Chinese dragon culture in its early stages.