Chinese archaeologists believed, after over a year's excavation and research, a large tomb in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, belonged to the grandmother of Qinshihuang, the country's first emperor.

The tomb was chronologically the closest to the mysterious mausoleum of Qinshihuang, probably built under the order of the first emperor, Zhang Tian'en, an expert with the Shaanxi provincial archaeology institute, told Xinhua on Saturday.

"So, the excavation of the grandmother's tomb hopefully will help unravel the mystery about the first emperor's mausoleum and contribute to the research on the burial culture of the Qin Dynasty," Zhang said.

The tomb, located in southern outskirts of Xi'an, provincial capital of Shaanxi, is the second largest ancient tomb that China has ever excavated, next only to that of King Jinggong of the State of Qin (897-221 BC), said Zhang.

Under the new campus of the Xi'an Business College, the tomb is about 30 kilometers southwest of the famous mausoleum of Qinshihuang, who united seven warring states and founded the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC.

The cemetery covered an area of 17.3 hectares, with a length of 550 meters and a width of 310 meters.

Archaeologists unearthed two carriages that were designed to be driven by six horses, which could be used only by kings and queens in the State of Qin.

Meanwhile, stamps for royal court officials, who were in charge of errands for queen mothers, queens and princes, have also been found, said Wang Hui, an expert with the Shaanxi Normal University.

After further research on unearthed articles and comparison with the style of Qin mausoleums, the archaeologists judged that the tomb belonged to the grandmother, Queen Mother Xia, of Qinshihuang.

The tomb is still under excavation.

Source: Xinhua