Haihunhou: Remains of a short reign

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Archaeologists clear the upper layer of the main coffin. [Photo by Guo Jing/China Daily]

Archaeologists scouring the area found a jade seal with Liu's surname, according to Xin Lixiang, an expert who is leading the team studying the coffin and its contents.

The graveyard, where the tomb was found, covers 40,000 square meters.

Approximately 10,000 cultural relics, including gold, bronze, and jade artifacts were unearthed in the area. Of these, more than 6,000 were found in the coffin chamber.

More than 200 gold ingots (used as currency in those times) and copper coins, roughly weighing 10 tonnes, were dug out.

"The find reflects a trend of showing off wealth," says Wang Zijin, a history professor from Renmin University of China focusing on Han Dynasty.

"It could also be a reflection of a prosperous economy in the area at the time."

During the time of Marquis Haihun many people from the north of China migrated to areas along the Yangtze River and the economy of the south gradually began to boom.