28 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Ancient tomb chamber discovered in north China

Archaeologists have unearthed a tomb with a stone outer coffin dating back to the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) in north China’s Shanxi Province, local authorities have announced.

According to the latest research results issued by the Shanxi provincial institute of archaeology, the tomb, which is located in the city of Datong, features inscriptions on a column in the chamber showing the year of its creation to be 456, while its owner is named as Lyu Xu.

The outer coffin, or “Guo” in Chinese, is 1.8 meters long from north to south and 3.3 meters wide from east to west, reaching 1.9 meters high at its highest point.

 This undated photo provided by the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology shows carved images on the outer coffin in the unearthed tomb in Datong City, north China's Shanxi Province. (Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology/Handout via Xinhua)
This undated photo provided by the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology shows carved images on the outer coffin in the unearthed tomb in Datong City, north China’s Shanxi Province. (Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology/Handout via Xinhua)

Due to robbery and water-seepage deposition in the chamber, no inner coffin, or “Guan” in Chinese, was found, and few relics were unearthed.

Experts noted that on the southern side of the outer coffin are carved images of two tomb-guarding warriors — dressed in exotic clothes, bare-chested and holding tridents.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



 This undated aerial photo provided by the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology shows the excavation site of an ancient tomb in Datong City, north China's Shanxi Province. (Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology/Handout via Xinhua)
This undated aerial photo provided by the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology shows the excavation site of an ancient tomb in Datong City, north China’s Shanxi Province. (Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology/Handout via Xinhua)

Zhang Zhizhong, director of the Datong institute of archaeology, said that the discovery of the tomb has provided new materials for the study of ethnic integration and cultural exchanges between China and the West. 

 This undated photo provided by the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology shows carved images on the outer coffin in the unearthed tomb in Datong City, north China's Shanxi Province. (Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology/Handout via Xinhua)
This undated photo provided by the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology shows carved images on the outer coffin in the unearthed tomb in Datong City, north China’s Shanxi Province. (Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology/Handout via Xinhua)

The period between 386 and 581 A.D. in Chinese history is conventionally called the Northern and Southern Dynasties, when North China—under the control of the Tuoba clan of the Xianbei tribe (a proto-Mongol people)—was politically separated from, yet culturally connected with, the Chinese dynasties established in Jiankang (Nanjing). The Northern Wei rulers were ardent supporters of Buddhism, a foreign religion utilized as a theocratic power for ideological and social control of the predominantly Chinese population.

Source: Xinhua

Related Articles

The excavation, which started in a cave in Turkey’s Mardin, turned into a huge underground city

19 April 2022

19 April 2022

In an underground city known used as a settlement in the early Christian era, in the Midyat district of Mardin,...

Archaeologists reveal 4,000-year-old rock-cut tomb, artifacts in Saqqara

8 January 2024

8 January 2024

A team of Egyptian and Japanese archaeologists has unveiled a rock-cut tomb believed to be more than 4,000 years old...

700-Year-Old Lord Vishnu’s Sculpture Washes Ashore on Pedda Rushikonda Beach

23 March 2025

23 March 2025

On a serene Friday evening, the tranquil shores of Pedda Rushikonda beach were disrupted by an extraordinary sight: a centuries-old...

Ancient Library With Unparalleled Architecture Found in Stratonikeia, Marble City of Gladiators

24 June 2025

24 June 2025

An ancient marvel, unique in design and history, is being unearthed in the heart of southwest TĂźrkiye. Archaeologists working in...

The Oldest Known Neanderthal Engravings were Discovered in a French Cave

13 August 2023

13 August 2023

According to a recent study published, the oldest engravings made by Neanderthals have been discovered on a cave wall in...

One of the World’s Oldest Streets Unearthed at Canhasan 3 in Türkiye, Dating Back 9,750 Years

26 August 2025

26 August 2025

Nearly 10,000 years ago, long before the rise of cities, a community in central Anatolia was already experimenting with new...

Researchers may have found the wreck of British explorer James Cook’s Endeavour

3 February 2022

3 February 2022

The wreck of Captain James Cook’s famed vessel the Endeavour has been found off the coast of the U.S. state...

Rich Votive Deposit Discovered in the Valley of the Temples of Agrigento

10 August 2023

10 August 2023

At least sixty terracotta figurines, female protomes, and busts, oil lamps, and small vases, a rich votive deposit of bronze...

3,000-year-old weavings discovered in Alaska’s Alutiiq settlement

3 September 2023

3 September 2023

Archaeologists have uncovered fragments of woven grass artifacts estimated to be 3,000 years old during excavations at an ancestral sod...

Deadly Omens Revealed from 4,000-year-old Babylonian Tablets

10 August 2024

10 August 2024

Researchers successfully deciphered 4,000-year-old cuneiform tablets discovered over a century ago in what is now Iraq.  The tablets, housed at...

A Chapel was Found Under the Madonna Tal-Hniena Church in Qrendi, Malta

21 May 2021

21 May 2021

Underneath the Madonna Tal-Hniena church in the village of Qrendi in the south of Malta, the remains of an ancient...

The Enigmatic Architecture of Sacsayhuaman: The Sacred Stronghold of Massive Stones and Mysteries

14 March 2025

14 March 2025

Sacsayhuaman Fortress, located just outside Cusco, Peru, is one of the most astonishing archaeological complexes in the world. Initiated by...

Petalodus shark teeth found for the first time in China

29 August 2021

29 August 2021

A 290 million-year-old fossil of a shark with petal-shaped teeth has been discovered in China. Seven well-preserved Petalodus teeth were...

The ‘extraordinary’ Roman mosaic depicting scenes from Homer’s Iliad unearthed in a Rutland farmer’s field is the first of its kind in England

25 November 2021

25 November 2021

The 1,500-year-old mosaic discovered by a farmer was considered Britain’s “most exciting” Roman find. The artwork was discovered on private...

Evidence of Early Forms of Pottery Production and 8,000-Year-Old Buildings Belonging to the Elite of the Time Discovered in Iraqi Kurdistan

9 January 2025

9 January 2025

Archaeologists from the University of Udine have uncovered two ancient human settlements in the Rovia sub-district of Dohuk province in...