Archaeologists in this northwestern province of Shaanxi have discovered a tomb dating backing more than 1,300 years ago in Tongguan County and unearthed a large number of relics from the tomb.

Located near Shuicun Village, 10 kilometers northwest of the county proper of Tongguan, the bomb is said to be built in the Sui Dynasty (581-618).

Archaeologists discovered 72 square meters of well-preserved frescos, and unearthed more than 200 pieces of relics including pottery ware and a stone coffin.

The two-story tomb chamber is in the shape of a semicircular space which is five meters high, with a diameter of over six meters. The walls of the chamber are painted with the images of noble women and the roof is painted with silver spots, symbolizing stars.

A white belt stretches through the roof to symbolize the Milky Way, said Li Ming, an archaeologist with the Shaanxi Provincial Archaeological Research Institute, who participated in the recent excavation of the Sui Dynasty tomb.

The tomb passage is 21 meters long and over two meters wide with walls on both sides painted with a picture showcasing 46 people going on a journey. Also painted on the walls include a horse and a halbert.

A huge stone coffin, three meters long and two meters wide, lies east-to-west in the chamber. The coffin is carved with celestial beings, beasts and other complicated patterns.

Li, the archaeologist, said the tomb belongs to a member of the imperial family, judging from the pattern of the tomb, funeral objects and carvings on the coffin.

According to Li, the tomb had been robbed of many precious relics including the epitaph for several times in the past. The owner of the tomb might be a prince, Li said.

Li said the frescos and coffin in the tomb provide precious materials for studying art development in the Sui Dynasty and the following Tang Dynasty (618-907).
 
(Xinhua News Agency December 27, 2005)