Chinese archaeologists have discovered five tombs dating back more than 1,700 years in east China's Anhui Province.

Located in Huaibei City, the tombs were found during construction of a local project.

Archaeologists unearthed a bronze sword, some pieces of chinaware and painted earthenware from the five tombs, believed to be built in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220).

Among the five tombs, four are made of bricks and one is made of stone. The largest one is a stone grave, which is about 9 meters long and 9.2 meters wide. Covering an area of 80 square meters, the tomb includes a main room, a front room and two side rooms.

Judging from the size of the tombs, the building materials and the funeral objects, experts conjectured the tombs belonged to a noble family in the early Eastern Han Dynasty.

The tombs are of great significance in studying the social life during the Eastern Han Dynasty and provide evidence for studying funerals of the era, an expert said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2006)