Color Tomb Figures of Western Xia Discovered in NingxiaChinese archaeologists have unearthed 10 colored wooden figures from a tomb of the Western Xia Dynasty (1308-1227) in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, northwest China.Archaeologists also found more than 140 pieces of stone steles which are carved with Chinese characters near the tomb. Famous Chinese archaeologist Su Bai said that this is an important archaeological discovery concerning the Western Xia. The tomb, 23 kilometers from the tombs of the Western Xia kings near the Helan Mountain, consists of three parts including the tomb passage 22.5 meters long, a corridor and the burial chamber which is 7.5 meters underground. The 10 tomb figures found in the burial chamber include seven that are intact and three heads. The group is made up of eight warriors and two civil officials. A group of wooden chickens, an ox and dogs ranging from 25 cm to 15 cm in height were also unearthed from the tomb. Du Yubing, deputy director of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Regional Archaeological Research Institute, said that the discovery is of great significance in studying the culture of Western Xia. |
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