????Chinese archaeologists announced recently that they have unearthed another eight pits around the Luozhuang Mausoleum, the earliest Western Han (BC 206--25 AD) Dynasty royal mausoleum ever unearthed in China, raising the total number to 28.

????It is quite rare to have so many pits, as formerly discovered mausoleums have 10 pits at the most.

????Since excavation started in June last year, archaeologists have found in Luozhuang Mausoleum, located 40 kilometers east of Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong province, numerous valuable funerary objects.

????According to Dr. Cui Dayong, the number of pits could still grow as the east aisle of the mausoleum remains untouched.

????Judging from the earth seal already found, archaeologists believed that the mausoleum dates back to BC 186.

????Archaeologists deduced from the plentiful things in the pits that the owner of this mausoleum could be of royal standing like a king.

(Xinhua 11/13/2000)