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Copyright © 2024 CGTN. 京ICP备20000184号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
Excavations at the Wuwangdun tomb site in east China's Anhui Province have unearthed a remarkable find - stacks of leaves with clearly visible veins, according to archaeologists.
The site, located in the historic city of Huainan, is the largest, highest-level and most structurally complex tomb from the ancient Chu State, and dates back over 2,200 years, the National Cultural Heritage Administration said Tuesday.
In the tomb chamber designated as "East I," archaeologists retrieved artifacts floating on the water's surface. Upon further examination in the laboratory, they uncovered stacks of leaves that had accumulated over time.
"The leaves are mostly piled together. Although there isn't much mud, the current preservation condition is not very ideal. They show signs of significant decay, but some leaf veins are still noticeable. We may need to work with archaeologists to carefully peel them apart layer by layer," said Zhang Zhiguo, a researcher at the National Center for Archaeology who leads the Wuwangdun archaeological excavation project.
Due to the fragile condition of the leaves, archaeologists are closely monitoring their moisture and integrity.
"After extraction, we will conduct identification and quantitative analysis, including determining the number of leaves in Chamber East I and the quantity of leaf core," Zhang said.
Archaeologists speculate that these leaves may be related to the fruits found in the same tomb chamber.