30 June 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Archaeologists discover three extraordinary 1,800-year-old residential-style tombs featuring rooms and windows, Filled with Han Dynasty Treasures

Archaeologists discovered three remarkable 1,800-year-old, residential-style tombs featuring rooms and windows, where a wealthy family was laid to rest alongside their treasured possessions, in Rizhao, China.

The tombs are thought to date to the Han Dynasty, which ruled China between 206 B.C. and A.D. 220—what is considered to be a golden age in Chinese history.

The tombs, which are from the Han dynasty, were discovered by archaeologists in Rizhao, China, while they were getting ready for a park expansion. But the archaeologists weren’t actually the first to find the tombs; looters had previously discovered at least portions of them at some point, largely clearing out two of the tombs, while leaving the third relatively undisturbed.

The intact tomb consists of two interconnected rooms in a residential style, and it is believed that a married couple belonging to the Chinese Huan family were laid to rest here. Photo: Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

According to a statement translated from the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, apart from the 70 artifacts constituting the family treasure in the third tomb, it is the tomb design that makes the tombs so fascinating. These are residential-style tombs, featuring doors and windows, with one containing multiple interconnecting rooms.

Two of the tombs contained inscriptions of the Huan surname, showing the distinct familial connection between them. Also, a bronze seal found in the tomb bears the name “Huan Jia”—revealing the identity of the owner.

A bronze seal found in the tomb bears the name "Huan Jia"—revealing the identity of the owner. Photo: Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
A bronze seal found in the tomb bears the name “Huan Jia”—revealing the identity of the owner. Photo: Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

 Experts say the tombs, accessed through passageways, share a similar design. The most intact tomb, known as M3, includes interconnected rooms with wooden windows and doors, suggesting it may have been the final resting place of a married couple.

The third tomb, known as M3 and believed to contain a married couple, had all its treasures intact. This tomb consisted of two rooms connect by a doorway. The miniature wooden doors and windows in this tomb that linked the two rooms were supposed to imitate a residential style, according to archaeologists.

Pottery discovered in the Chinese family tomb.  Photo: Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Pottery discovered in the Chinese family tomb. Photo: Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The 70 artifacts recovered from the tomb complex so far suggest that this was a high-status, wealthy family. These include an iron sword, bronze mirrors, and a variety of pottery.

In a distinctly unusual discovery, the team also located pieces of a coffin carriage, which was used to transport coffins into the tomb. The archaeologists described it as “exquisitely crafted and an uncommon find.”

Artifacts recovered from the tomb complex included this sword (below) and bronze mirrors (top). Photo: Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Artifacts recovered from the tomb complex included this sword (below) and bronze mirrors (top). Photo: Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Moreover, it is extremely uncommon to discover a family name connecting the tombs. The basic design of the tombs is also the same, with a sloping entrance tunnel that leads to each chamber located deep within the mound. Brick-carved arches, doors, and windows played heavily, and murals featured flora patterns and figures.

Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Cover Photo: Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Related Articles

Lidar Technology Reveals a 3,000-year-old Secret Mayan City with Full of Pyramids and Plazas

30 October 2024

30 October 2024

Tulane University researchers used laser-guided imaging to uncover vast unexplored Maya settlements in Campeche, Mexico, revealing more than 6,500 pre-Hispanic...

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...

Archaeologists Unearth 78,000-Year Oldest Human Burial

5 May 2021

5 May 2021

A 78,000-year-old group of bones discovered at the mouth of a Kenyan coastal cave constitutes the oldest recorded formal human...

50 Lost War Helmets Found Near Wrocław University

16 June 2025

16 June 2025

In a remarkable archaeological discovery, over 50 military helmets from both World Wars have been unearthed just steps away from...

Kent Archaeological Society purchased an Anglo-Saxon hoard ahead of a London auction

1 November 2022

1 November 2022

The Kent Archaeological Society has bought a large collection of Anglo-Saxon artifacts from the sixth and seventh centuries known as...

The biblical narrative of Sodom may have been inspired by a cosmic meteorite that devastated an ancient city

21 September 2021

21 September 2021

The Bible account of Sodom’s destruction lies at the heart of classic “fire and brimstone” judgment day prophesies. But what...

Ancient Roman 3rd-century defensive wall found in Germany

24 March 2024

24 March 2024

An exciting archaeological discovery was made during construction work in Aachen’s city center, Germany. At the corner of Pontstrasse and...

A wash-basin decorated with 2500-year-old Mythological creatures and Chariot races was discovered in Izmir, Turkey

28 September 2022

28 September 2022

Unique ceramic figures were discovered in the excavations carried out this year in the ancient city of Klazomenai in the...

1,300-year-old shipwreck found in southwest France

19 June 2022

19 June 2022

Archeologists in France have discovered the wreck of a ship that navigated the Garonne river in southwestern France in the...

Paleontologists Unearth 139 Million-Year-Old Pregnant Dinosaur Fossil in Chile

10 May 2022

10 May 2022

Archeologists in Chile have unearthed the fossilized remains of a 13ft-long pregnant ichthyosaur from a melting glacier -marking the first...

Unveiling the Secrets of the “Air-Dried Chaplain”: A Unique Mummification Method Discovered in Austria

4 May 2025

4 May 2025

Researchers investigating a remarkably well-preserved mummy discovered in the church crypt of St. Thomas am Blasenstein, a small village in...

Ground-penetrating radars reveal hidden passages, described in Leonardo’s drawings

16 January 2025

16 January 2025

As part of a PhD thesis, an innovative technological investigation conducted by the Politecnico di Milano, in collaboration with the...

2-Meter-Long Stone Block Found at 12,000-Year-Old Boncuklu Tarla Site in Southeastern Türkiye

18 December 2024

18 December 2024

A remarkable 2-meter by 20-centimeter processed stone block was discovered during the archaeological excavations at Boncuklu Tarla (Beaded Field), which...

7,000-year-old Ritual Complex Found In Jordan Desert

23 February 2022

23 February 2022

The team of French and Jordanian archaeologists has discovered a 7,000-year-old ritualistic complex near what is thought to be the...

The ancient city of Karkamış “House of the Seal” brings a different perspective to the Hittite-Assyrian relations with its important finds

6 May 2022

6 May 2022

Historical artifacts discovered during excavations by Turkish and Italian teams in the ancient city of Karkamış (Carchemish) in southern Gaziantep...