28 August 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.

 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

Archaeologists in the Tangier Peninsula Discovered Three Ancient Cemeteries, Including a Stone Burial Dating to Around 4,000 Years Ago

17 May 2025

17 May 2025

A significant archaeological discovery in northern Morocco’s Tangier Peninsula, situated just south of the Strait of Gibraltar, has led to...

Cyprus’ Lost Terracotta Warriors: Unearthing a 2,500-Year-Old Army at Agia Eirini

23 May 2025

23 May 2025

Hidden beneath the sands of time in the tranquil Morphou Bay lies Agia Eirini (Turkish: Akdeniz), a seemingly quiet village...

Obsidian Research in Alberta Uncovers Evidence of Extensive Long-Distance Trade Among Indigenous Peoples Before European Contact

31 March 2025

31 March 2025

Recent research into obsidian artifacts in Alberta, a province located in western Canada, has unveiled significant evidence of long-distance trade...

A rare Roman cornu mouthpiece found at Vindolanda

23 September 2022

23 September 2022

Just south of Hadrian’s Wall, archaeologists have discovered an extremely rare Roman cornu mouthpiece beneath the remains of the ancient...

Archaeologists uncovered a 3,500-year-old Egyptian Royal Retreat in the Sinai Desert

5 May 2024

5 May 2024

An Egyptian mission uncovered the ruins of a 3,500-year-old “royal fortified rest area” at the Tel Habwa archaeological site in...

Historic Leeds cemetery discovery unearths an ancient lead coffin belonging to a late Roman aristocratic woman

14 March 2023

14 March 2023

Archaeologists in northern Britain uncovered the skeletal remains of a late-Roman aristocratic woman inside a lead coffin, as well as...

2,000-year-old Monumental Tomb of Roman Elite discovered in Apollon Smintheus sanctuary in Türkiye

2 January 2024

2 January 2024

A 2,000-year-old monumental tomb from the Roman era has been unearthed at the Apollon Smintheus Sanctuary in the village of...

Medieval Weapon Chest Found on Sunken Medieval Flagship Gribshunden

20 April 2024

20 April 2024

An extensive exploration of the wreck of the royal flagship Gribshunden has unearthed a trove of new findings: new insights...

Europe’s Oldest Evidence of Winemaking Unearthed in ‘City of Birds’: 7,000-Year-Old Discovery

22 August 2025

22 August 2025

Researchers have uncovered evidence of what is believed to be Europe’s earliest winemaking in the prehistoric settlement known as the...

Ancient coins surface with Lake Iznik’s withdrawal in Türkiye

2 May 2023

2 May 2023

With the withdrawal of Lake Iznik in the northwest of Türkiye, the ancient coins found at the bottom of the...

A mysterious lead tablet with an unknown 13th-14th-century script: Might be an old Lithuanian script?

26 February 2024

26 February 2024

In the Museum of the Palace of the Grand Dukes in Vilnius, Lithuania, a mysterious lead tablet dating back to...

Radar Detects Long-lost River in Egypt and Could Explain How The Pyramids Were Built

22 May 2024

22 May 2024

More than 30 pyramids in Egypt are located in an unremarkable strip of barren desert far from the shores of...

Hundreds of 8,400-Year-Old Finger Flutings Discovered in Australia’s Glittering Cave

15 August 2025

15 August 2025

Deep within a remote limestone cave in southeastern Australia, archaeologists have uncovered a breathtaking link to the past — hundreds...

Bone tools for bleeding cows discovered in a 7,000-year-old cemetery in Sudan

24 March 2023

24 March 2023

During excavations in the Letti basin in northern Sudan, archaeologists have unearthed 7,000-year-old bone tools used to bleed cows. Explorers...

A Remarkable Underground City Discovered Beneath Historic Yazd Homes in Central Iran

26 January 2025

26 January 2025

A remarkable ‘underground city’ was discovered under five historical houses in the ancient town of Abarkuh in Yazd province in...