Archaeologists in southwest China's Yunnan Province have unearthed a cluster of 209 tombs believed to be from between the late Neolithic and early Bronze age.

The tombs were discovered during the latest excavation of 100,000 square meters of ruins in Jiangbian Village in Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, according to the provincial archaeology institute.

Wan Yang, a researcher with the institute, said that most of the tombs were earth pits with well-preserved human skeletons lying flat on their back.

But in some tombs, two skeletons overlapped each other, he said. While in other tombs, bones dislocated, a result of funeral rituals according to which people were buried long after death.

"Findings from the tombs carry important information about the lifestyles, culture and views of life and death of early humans living in this area," Wan said.

More than 1,500 pieces of pottery, 80 pieces of bronze ware, 168 pieces of stoneware and 130 bone artifacts were also unearthed in the tombs.

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