Over 100 ancient tombs discovered in central China

Undated photo shows a part of a newly-discovered group of tombs, which are believed to date back to the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), on the south bank of a section of the Yellow River in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province. A group of more than 100 tombs dating back up to 2,200 years ago have been discovered near a section of the Yellow River in the city of Luoyang, archaeologists said. (Luoyang City Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute/Handout via Xinhua)

ZHENGZHOU, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A group of more than 100 tombs dating back up to 2,200 years ago have been discovered near a section of the Yellow River in the city of Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, archaeologists said.

Based on the shapes and materials of the tombs, archaeologists with the Luoyang City Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute believed that the tombs dated back to the Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 220).

The tombs were originally located on a platform on the south bank of a section of the Yellow River in Lijiazhuang Village of Luoyang. This summer, the swelling river washed away the platform and eroded part of the bank, causing the tombs to resurface after the water level dropped, according to the archaeologists.

Due to the complex conditions at the location of the tombs, archaeologists are still devising surveying plans before any further archaeological work can be carried out.