Nearly 1,000 Ancient Tombs Discovered in China

A fantastic discovery in China - I wish there were some photographs of the artifacts excavated: From United Press International Nearly 1,000 ancient tombs found in China Published: Dec. 9, 2007 at 3:33 PM ZHENGHOU, China, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Archaeologists in China recently discovered nearly 1,000 tombs in Henan Province, some of which may have been created 2,200 years ago. A significant portion of the 972 discovered tombs are thought to date back to China's Eastern Zhou Dynasty, which occurred between 770-221 B.C., while others have been linked to the later Han and Northern Wei Dynasties, China's official Xinhua news agency said Saturday. The hundreds of tombs were found near the ancient city of Luoyang, which served as the capital of six major Chinese dynasties.The discovery was made during a State Administration of Cultural Heritage archaeological effort that began in 2003 and had been attempting to preserve the area's ancient relics. The dig also unearthed 20,000 artifacts ranging from bronze basins to jade ornaments, Xinhua reported.An expert with the excavation effort said those artifacts will offer a glimpse into the funeral customs and daily rituals of the ancient cultures. © 2007 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.