Dozens of ancient tombs unearthed in China. See the treasures found inside
Surrounded by modern high-rises and a six-lane highway sits a boring-looking plot of land in eastern China. But hidden underneath are dozens of ruins and hundreds of artifacts spanning the past 4,000 years.
Archaeologists began excavating this site in Zibo city ahead of the construction of an elementary school, the Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said in a June 27 news release shared via the China Archaeology Network.
In total, the excavation uncovered 93 tombs, 129 trash pits, 18 wells, a pottery kiln and 376 artifacts. The oldest finds dated back at least 4,000 years, while the most recent finds were only 100 years old.
The bulk of the ruins came from the Shang dynasty, a period lasting from roughly 1700 to 1100 B.C., archaeologists said. During this time, the site was home to a stable settlement with excavations and pottery making.
Archaeologists found eight 3,000-year-old water wells from this period, likely used for residential and industrial purposes. Inside the partially collapsed wells were pottery fragments, bone tools, clam tools and several helmet-shaped tools possibly used during salt production.
The site also had dozens of tombs from the Han dynasty, a period lasting from 206 B.C. until 220 A.D., the institute said. Many of these simple graves had artifacts such as pottery, jars, bronze mirrors, belt hooks and copper coins.
Photos show a few of the treasures found at the ancient site.
The oldest ruins included two small tombs from the Longshan culture, a Neolithic culture dating from roughly 2600 to 2000 B.C., archaeologists said. A photo shows one of these burials.
Conversely, the most recent tombs were 15 burials, likely a family cemetery, from the Qing dynasty. This period, the last of China’s imperial dynasties, began in 1644 and ended in 1912, according to Britannica.
Excavations at the site in Zibo lasted from April to October 2023. The finds are still being analyzed.
Zibo is a city in the eastern coastal province of Shandong and a roughly 260-mile drive southeast from Beijing.
Google Translate and Baidu Translate were used to translate the news release from the Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
This story was originally published July 3, 2024 at 1:28 PM with the headline "Dozens of ancient tombs unearthed in China. See the treasures found inside."
