This week has been a busy week for archaeologists across the region. A skeleton of suspected East Asian origin is discovered in Italy, excavations continue at an ancient graveyard in Guangdong Province, and Chinese archaeologists successfully finish their restoration work on a Tang Dynasty headdress.
Here are some of the stories that made the news this week :
Tomb of Ancient China's "Major General" Unearthed (Oneindia)Chinese archaeologists are thought to have unearthed the tombs of
Major General Zhang Anshi (張安世) and his family near
Xi'an in China's
Shaanxi Province. Zhang Anshi is thought to have aided
Liu Bingyi (who would later become
Emperor Xuan of
Han) in his ascension to the Han throne in around 74BC.
DNA Testing on 2,000-Year-Old Bones in Italy Reveal East Asian Ancestry (Science Daily)Researchers excavating a Roman cemetery in
Vagnari,
Italy, have stumbled upon a skeleton believed to be that of a person of
East Asian descent. Archaeologists believe that the bones date back to the first or second century AD and that the man may have been a slave or worker during the early
Roman Empire. If the bones are indeed those of a man of East Asian origin, it could indicate that the Roman Empire was a more global and diverse society than previously thought.
Excavation Goes on for Ancient Tombs in Guangdong (CCTV)The excavations continue at the ancient graveyard discovered at the foot of the
Fufuling Hills in China's
Guangdong Province. More than 400 tombs dating from the
Western Zhou Dynasty have been unearthed during the preliminary excavation, which has yielded some 1,000 artifacts, including bronze vessels and jade ornaments.
Retired Teacher Determined to Find "Sunken City" (China Daily)Hu Bigui, a retired teacher from China's Sichuan Province, has teamed up with an experienced diver in a bid to find out whether or not the remains of a Han Dynasty city lie submerged in
Qionghai Lake in
Xichang (西昌). Mr Hu's theory is based on a Google Earth photo of the lake which, he argues, hints at the presence of a sunken city and which he believes may be the remains of
Qiongdu (邛都), a county which ancient texts claim was founded by
Emperor Wudi during the
Western Han Dynasty.
Crown of Ancient Princess Repaired (CCTV)Archaeologists have just finished repairing a
Tang Dynasty headdress which had been excavated from a tomb in
Shanxi Province. The repair work took a year and a half to complete and the archaeologists relied on historical documents and wall paintings to help them successfully restore the ancient artifact to its former glory.
Liao Treasures from Inner Mongolia to be Exhibited in Taiwan (Taiwan News)An exhibition featuring artifacts excavated from
Liao Dynasty sites will be held at the
National Palace Museum,
Taipei, from
February 6 to
May 16. The collection includes funerary artifacts from three major
Khitan burial sites and is the first time that artifacts from the
Inner Mongolia Museum are displayed outside of China.
Ancient Mongolian Tomb Holds Skeleton of Western Man (Discovery News)A DNA analysis of a 2,000-year old skeleton found in eastern
Mongolia has revealed that the man was of Western heritage. The identity of the man remains unknown but archaeologists believe that the man may have held a prominent position within the
Xiongnu Empire and his presence may be evidence of the ethnic diversity of the Xiongnu polity.
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