Some 20 carriages and dozens of horse remains have been found in a pit in Xinzheng city, central China's Henan Province.

The carriages and horses, dating back to the East Zhou period (BC770-BC221), were burial objects for a king of one of the warring states during the period, said archaeologists.

Such a pit with so many carriages is rare in this country, said experts.

The wooden carriages are placed orderly along the sides of the tomb, which is 10.4 meters long, 8.4 meters wide and 5 meters deep.

The carriages are heavily decorated with bright paint, exquisite carving and delicate ornamentation.

Experts have examined the horse bones and presume that over 40 horses were buried in the tomb.

(Xinhua News Agency 09/26/2001)