The provincial institute of cultural relics and archaeology has reported that archaeologists in Hunan Province, central China, have discovered a shared burial tomb that dates back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

The tomb was discovered in Nanhe Village in Lixian County, Xinhua News reported.

“Last year, when we carried out an investigation of cultural relics in the northwest mountainous area of Lixian County, we learned about this tomb from the villagers, and immediately started to protect it. In February of this year, the institute sent experts to excavate the ancient tomb with us,” said Zhou Hua who is the county’s archaeological research and cultural relics protection center.

The tomb comprises two vaults, each with a curved ceiling. Researchers unearthed flower-themed murals within the tomb, and an associate researcher at the institute, Tan Yuanhui, revealed that a niche in the northern chamber of the tomb contained 16 auspicious characters.

Due to tomb-raiding over the past dynasties, no coffins or funerary objects were found at the excavation site. “But judging from the shape, scale and murals found in the tomb, the owners are likely to have been people of a certain economic strength and social status,” said Zhou, as reported by Xinhua News.

Written by staff