Archaeologists have discovered 21 tombs in Changsha, Hunan Province /Central China/ dating back to the reign of the Western Han Dynasty /202 BC – 25 AD/. Probably these burials belong to the imperial mausoleum discovered earlier, which is located about 780 meters from them in a straight line. This was reported at the Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archeology of Changsha.
All burials are earthen pits and can be divided into two types – tombs with passages and without them, said the head of the excavation project Zhou Baodong.
Many tombs are located next to each other. These may be joint burials of husband and wife or members of the same family, he added.
It is worth noting that archaeologists have also discovered a unique tomb. According to their assumptions, it is a two-tiered burial, which is rare in Hunan Province.
“If our assumptions are confirmed, it will provide important information for studying the development and distribution of burials with a two-tiered structure during the Han Dynasty,” Zhou Baodong said.
In total, 234 funerary objects were found in the tombs, most of them ceramic products.
Given the proximity of the location and the similar age of the burials, archaeologists have come to the conclusion that these tombs probably belong to the ancient imperial mausoleum.
According to Zhou Baodong, the new finds can provide fundamental information for studying the burial system in the territory of the current city of Changsha during the Western Han Dynasty.
Source: Xinhua
