14 ancient tombs unearthed in central China's Hunan

CHANGSHA, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists have found 14 tombs dating back to between the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) and the Tang Dynasty (618-907) in central China's Hunan Province.

They have excavated 8 tombs and unearthed more than 130 relics items, including pottery, porcelain and bronzeware, in a tomb complex in the city of Leiyang, according to the provincial institute of archaeology and cultural relics.

Six Eastern Han Dynasty tombs are brick tombs, three of which might have had owners from the same family, said Chen Bin, head of the archaeological team of the tomb complex under the institute.

Archaeologists have also discovered a trench 4.5 meters west of the back chamber of the largest tomb, measuring about 0.9 meters in width, nearly 15 meters in length and about 0.1 meters in depth. "The trench would have been the boundary line of the family cemetery, which shows that the cemetery had a strong territorial nature at the time," Chen said.

"This excavation is of great significance to further understanding the funeral customs of people in southern Hunan, as well as the levels of economic development and cultural exchanges during the period," Chen said.