Ancient Chinese tombs contain the remains of warriors who may have been buried alive by their comrades.

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The relics in these tombs date back 3,000 years, making them the property of a prominent family in ancient Egypt.

The remains of warriors and warhorses that appear to have been sacrificed at a wealthy clan's burial have been found in an ancient Chinese capital city for the first time.

Yinxu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies less than 2 miles (2.4 kilometres) away from the newly discovered complex of 24 tombs near the city of Anyang in Henan province. Shang dynasty capital city of Yin, which ruled between 1600 and 1046 B.C.—the earliest dynasty ever recorded in China—is represented by the ancient remains.

Numerous war chariots, the remains of their horses, and the corpses of warriors can all be found in the newly discovered tomb complex. According to a statement from the government's Xinhua news agency, some of the warriors wore headgear with strings of shells. At the same time, the foreheads of some of the horses were decorated with gold veneer and bronze backing.

Kong Deming, head of Anyang's Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology, described the find as "extremely unique" among the city's historical discoveries since it "reflects the great position and authority of the chariot owner."

The practice of "ritual suicide" or "volunteering" to be buried alive during the funerals of their high-status masters was popular in Shang dynasty China, according to a study at Penn State University.

This is a long-standing family.

This site was excavated for almost two years by archaeologists from Anyang. They've uncovered the foundations of 18 ancient structures, 24 tombs and six chariot graves, all of which included the bones of men and horses sacrificed.

A large residential complex for a clan known as "Ce" is thought to have existed at the ancient site. Bronze jars etched with the Chinese character "Ce" ( - Wiktionary) were unearthed in some of those tombs, suggesting that the Ce people were also buried there.

The earliest known Chinese writings, the oracle bone inscriptions discovered at Yingxu, contain a record of a "Ce" clan. These inscriptions were found on turtle shells and animal bones.

This location has a lot of bronzes bearing the 'Ce' clan emblem. Thus we believe the clan was active here," he stated.

Archaeologists also discovered other treasures in the tombs, including jade, stone, bone, shell and bronzeware. An abundance of ornate decorations implied that the family was well-off.

Even though one of the largest tombs was robbed, the other tombs included a variety of well-preserved treasures, he said.

The archaeologists now seek to discover more about the clan's social rank, the division of work, and the link between the Shang royal family and the clan.

Dynasty of Shang

A beautiful wall and steps from a building dating to the Shang dynasty have been discovered by researchers, who believe they may hold clues to the construction process used in those structures.

According to preliminary dating, the newly discovered artefacts in Anyang date back to the late Shang dynasty, also known as the Yin dynasty, because of its ancient capital city.

According to Xinhua, more than 170 objects composed of bronze, ceramic, jade and bone were also discovered at another archaeological site in Anyang last year.

According to National Geographic, the Zhao dynasty overthrew the Shang dynasty in 1046 B.C., which had controlled the Yellow River Valley's middle and lower reaches, largely regarded as the birthplace of Chinese civilisation.

Although some older dynasties are mentioned in traditional Chinese history, archaeological evidence only points to the Shang dynasty as the first.

Archaeologists have speculated that the script was formed earlier than the Shang period, based on the intricacy and complexity of the earliest known examples of Chinese writing.

Reference: https://www.livescience.com/ancient-chinese-tombs-warriors-buried-alive

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