Chinese archeologists say they have unearthed a 700-year-old tomb with the skeleton of an old lady inside, in north China's Hebei Province.
The brick tomb, square in shape, was found some four meters underground in Xuanhua County, Zhangjiakou City, the local cultural heritage administration told Xinhua on Tuesday.
The skeleton was found lying on a brick bed inside the tomb, with its head on the east and feet on the west.
At the head of the brick bed stands a tablet, on which was written in vermilion the name of the tomb's owner, a Mrs. Ge, mother of a filial man named Wei Quan, and the time of her burial in 1277, during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).
Experts say other tablets of its kind have been unearthed in many ancient tombs and just like today's title deeds, they are credentials of land purchase and ownership.
Archeologists have also found dozens of sacrificial items in the tomb, including plates, bowls and vases covered with enamel and bronze mirrors ingrained with phoenixes.
They say Yuan Dynasty tombs are rarely seen in Xuanhua, a historic town that got its name in 1693, during the reign of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
Located some 288 kilometers from the provincial capital Shijiazhuang, Xuanhua has a population of 301,000 and is home to a Liao Dynasty (960-1127) tomb with a colored star atlas painted with 268 stars including the sun, the moon and five planets -- Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
(Xinhua News Agency April 14, 2004)
