Chinese archaeologists have started to excavate a 2,500-year-old
tomb, containing 47 coffins made of a rare wood called nanmu, in
east China's Jiangxi Province.
The tomb, in Lijia village, Jing'an County, is 16 meters long,
about 11.5 meters wide and three meters deep. It is believed to
date back to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-221 B.C.).
This is the largest group of coffins ever discovered in a single
tomb, leading cultural experts and media to dub the excavation,
"the most important archaeology project of the year."
Archeologists earlier opened nine coffins because they were
rotten and partially destroyed by tomb robbers. Archaeologists
opened another coffin on Sunday morning, finding a relatively
complete human skeleton, bodily tissue, as well as many bronze,
gold, and silk items, porcelain, and jade.
The bodily tissue has been identified as the brain of the
deceased. The tissue has shrunk to the size of a fist, but it has a
complete brain structure with two cerebral hemispheres, cerebellum,
and brainstem.
"This is the first time that such a complete structure was found
in southern China and it will fill in gaps in the study of human
bone structure in the pre-Qin era (770-221 BC)," said Zhu Hong, a
paleoanthropological expert from Jilin University.
Zhu said the unique burial style could explain why the skeleton
and the brain tissue were preserved so well in an area where the
soil is acidic and unfavorable for preservation of the human
body.
The coffins were made from halved nanmu, a rare and extremely
durable wood, bound with rope, and covered in a layer of white mud
called loess. The layer of loess was then burned, making the tomb
pressurized and waterproof.
"The coffins were tightly sealed and there was little oxygen in
there for bacteria to reproduce," said Zhu.
The coffins, 2.5 to 2.8 meters long and 0.5 meters wide, were
laid out side by side in an orderly fashion. They are being
transported to a nearby storehouse to be kept in a temperature and
humidity controlled environment.
Archaeologists have taken 13 coffins to the storehouse and
opened 11 of them. They are to open more coffins in the next few
days and expect to find more skeletons.
The main coffin, weighing about two tons, will be opened on site
at about 9 a.m. Monday, as it is too big to move.
A group of cultural, paleoanthropological, geological, forestry,
and archeological experts across China have arrived at the site for
a joint research project.
Experts will pinpoint the gender and ages at the time of death,
and will further identify the causes of their deaths, their
identities, their burial dates, and why they were buried together,
said Fan Changsheng, director of the Jiangxi Provincial Institute
of Archeology.
The discovery could provide valuable clues to the study of
social customs, funeral rites, and lifestyles in the area, experts
said.
(Xinnhua News Agency July 2, 2007)
