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Ancient Casket Featuring Central Asian Culture Discovered in North China
A white marble outer casket dating back some 1,400 years is considered to belong to ancient Central Asian cultures.
The outer casket dates back to the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and is the first of its kind ever discovered in China. Chinese archaeologists unearthed the two-meter-high and 2.96-meter-long white marble outer casket when excavating a tomb in Wangguocun Village, Jinyuan District in Taiyuan, capital city of north China' s Shanxi Province.
There are over 50 pieces of relief sculpture on the casket depicting humans and gods attending a banquet, watching dances and fights between men and lions.
The white marble outer casket is highly significant since stone reliefs depicting ancient Central Asian culture have rarely been found in China before.
Scholars from Zhongshan University said the casket will be invaluable for studying ancient Central Asian culture, the Silk Road (Central Asia section) and cultural exchanges between ancient China and the Central Asia.
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