1,000-year-old brick tomb discovered in China is decorated with lions, sea anemones and 'guardian sp

By Tom Metcalfe published about 5 hours ago

A brick tomb from the Jurchen Jin period of northern China was discovered during the renovation of drains in Shanxi province.



The inner chamber of the ornate tomb is made of bricks shaped to look like carved wood. (Image credit: Shanxi Institute of Archaeology)


A stunning brick tomb thought to be more than 800 years old has been discovered in northern China by workers renovating stormwater drains.

The tomb contained three bodies — two adults and one child — as well as several pottery items. One of these, a "land coupon" inscribed with writing, indicates that the tomb was built between A.D. 1190 and 1196, when the region was ruled by the Jurchen Jin or "Great Jin" state.

According to the Shanxi Institute of Archaeology, the tomb was unearthed by the workers in mid-2019 near the village of Dongfengshan, in Yuanqu County, about 400 miles (650 kilometers) southwest of Beijing.

Archaeologists from the institute then carried out an excavation to document the tomb, and a full report on the work was released in February, according to a press release(opens in new tab) from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS.) The south-facing tomb has similarities to others found in the region from the time, such as a ceremonial "gatehouse" on its northern wall, but it is relatively simple, according to the report.



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