Carved brick wall in a 700-year-old tomb
A 700-year-old tomb with carved brick murals belonging to the Dawenkou culture known for its advanced pottery production and for its role in shaping the ritual culture of China's dynasties was unearthed amid the Wangzhuang ruins in central China's Henan Province this past fall. The largest Yuan Dynasty tomb complex with brick murals excavated in the province Tomb M27 is considered a prehistoric royal tomb and its social and cultural status ties to the Western Jin and Yuan dynasties. Archaeologists have also discovered several ancient tombs including a large complex comprising more than 40 groups of tombs.
Each group contains approximately 10 tombs. Some of these tombs date back to the Western Jin and Yuan dynasties and exhibit a variety of burial styles. The tombs are surrounded by four stone slabs topped by another stone slab. Some tombs have corridors within the tombs brick-covered gates walkways and rectangular tombs. The tomb complex in Yuanchu covers an area of approximately 1 square kilometer and consists of 42 tomb groups each containing approximately 10 tombs. Recent discoveries indicate that the Wangzhuang ruins were not an ordinary settlement but the capital of a prehistoric kingdom potentially serving as a gateway to prehistoric kingdoms.
“The abundance of grave goods is closely linked to the size of the tomb indicating that social hierarchy and stratification had already emerged” archaeologists said. “The tomb also contained approximately 350 grave goods including nearly 200 jade ornaments bone tools animal remains and 100 pieces of pottery. The presence of a pig jaw the most common animal bone found in the tomb provides evidence of the diverse nature of Chinese civilization.”
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