Archaeologists discover 400 tombs in China, dating back 2000 years

Archaeologists have excavated over 400 tombs in northern China dating back more than 2,000 years, local media reported on Sunday.

According to the Beijing-based Xinhua news agency, local archaeological authorities have excavated 445 tombs in northern Shanxi province, providing valuable data for the study of funeral and other practices of that era.

The tombs, from the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.), were found about 500 meters north of Xuezhuang village in Linfen City. Excavation work, led by the provincial Institute of Archaeology in Shanxi, was carried out for more than a year.

The tombs are of small or medium size and contain more than 700 pieces of cultural relics such as bronze ware, iron utensils, pottery, jade, and bone articles, according to Duan Shuanglong, a researcher at the institute.

Duan believes the findings will help understand the cultural evolution from the Warring States Period to the Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.).