Bronze mirrors found in 34 cave-chamber tombs in Shandong

A tomb discovered in the Zhoujiazhuang site in North China's Hebei Province Photo: Courtesy of National Cultural Heritage Administration

 A total of 34 Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties earthen cave-chamber tombs have been found in Yantai, East China's Shandong Province, the largest such discovery in China.

Several exquisite bronze mirrors, with different patterns engraved at the back, were unearthed from the excavation site.

This important excavation provides important materials for the study of funeral customs, the evolution of burial forms, cultural connotations and social structures from Tang to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). 

The excavation was carried out at the Dong Guan Southeast Cemetery of Laizhou, Yantai. 

"The excavated tombs were built over a long period of time, uninterrupted from the Tang Dynasty to the late Qing Dynasty. We found various types of tombs, including earthen pit vertical cave tombs, earthen cave tombs and rectangular brick cave tombs, among others," Sun Zhaofeng, a deputy researcher at the Yantai Museum and the leader of the archaeological excavation project, said. 

Earthen cave-chamber tombs were a popular form of burial during the Tang and Song dynasties. 

Built on a north-south orientation, these tombs consist of three sections: a tomb passage, a sealed brick wall and an earthen cave-chamber. 

The tomb was built by first digging a square tomb passage on the southern side which leads north to the earthen cave-chamber.

"Earthen cave-chamber tombs, a special form of burial structure, is rarely found in Yantai. They are hard to spot considering the way of construction. The excavation of dozens of complete earthen cave tombs from the Tang and Song dynasties provides a clearer understanding of the construction methods, features and period characteristics of these tombs," he added.