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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, July 09, 2003

Largest Jin Dynasty Tomb Discovered in NW China

Chinese archaeologists have discovered the largest tomb dating back to the Jin Dynasty (265-420) or even back to the Wei Kingdom (220-265) in northwest China's Gansu Province.


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Chinese archaeologists have discovered the largest tomb dating back to the Jin Dynasty (265-420) or even back to the Wei Kingdom (220-265) in northwest China's Gansu Province.

The tomb, located about eight km west of Jiuquan City, has two main chambers and four side rooms with a total floor space of 95 square meters.

The tomb has a 70-meter-long passage 4.6 meters in width at thefoundation and eight meters wide at the top. The passage has threelayers. Five niches were placed on both sides of the two lower layers of the passage. The tomb has a 10-cm-thick granite door which was 1.7 meters high and 1.4 meters wide.

Due to destruction by grave diggers, there were no funerary objects, except for about 20 bricks with paintings, a bone framework and some gold-plated nails.

Tombs built in the Jin Dynasty and Wei Kingdom had been denselyspread at the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province. Local archaeologists believe the occupant of the tomb was the King. Theyguessed the tomb owner was Li Gao, who built the state of Xiliang at the present site of Jiuquan Prefecture around 400 A.D. He died of illness in 417 in Jiuquan. Investigations are still going on todetermine the owner and exact date of the tomb.


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