Tang-era Han tombs found in eastern Xinjiang
2019-12-12 chinadaily.com.cn Editor：Li Yan
Researchers work at the sites to unearth the tombs in the Tianshan Mountains in the eastern part of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)
A group of ancient brick-chambered tombs built on a ramp was recently unearthed in the Tianshan Mountains in the eastern part of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
It marked the first time that tombs from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) in the style of the Han people were discovered and unearthed in Northwest China's Xinjiang, said Wang Yongqiang, a researcher from the Xinjiang Research Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.
But no epitaphs were found in these ancient tombs located in Xinjiang's Hami prefecture.
In addition to the ancient tombs, a Buddhist temple site and a storage site were also unearthed, Wang said.
A silver Sassanid coin is among the articles unearthed from the tombs in the Tianshan Mountains in the eastern part of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The tombs were built on a ramp 150 meters long, 73 meters wide and 3.5 meters high. The tomb group includes 19 open graves, according to the research institute.
So far, more than 100 bronze mirrors, lacquer boxes, turquoise jewelry pieces, earrings, gold and silver coins, and other funeral articles have been unearthed from the tombs.
Meanwhile archaeologists found a temple hall, caves, monasteries, a pagoda and other relics in the ancient Buddhist temple site.
A piece of pottery is among the articles unearthed from the tombs in the Tianshan Mountains in the eastern part of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Gong Guoqiang, director of the archaeological team, said the relics, ancient tomb and temple sites have provided valuable materials and clues to study the ancient Silk Road.
Hami prefecture in Xinjiang, one of the major trading hubs along the ancient Chinese Silk Road, had much been influenced by the Chinese culture of the Tang Dynasty at that time, Gong said.
The relics and sites have provided important evidence the Tang Dynasty government had administered Xinjiang and western Chinese regions, he said.
An overall view of the tomb group in the Tianshan Mountains in the eastern part of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
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