Bronze trove unearthed in Western Zhou Dynasty tomb

CCTV, 28 December 2013

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Some archaeological news now. Since August, work has been underway excavating a tomb from the Western Zhou Dynasty in Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province. Recently they have discovered 44 pieces of bronze ware, along with 2 pieces of pottery, which have all been buried for nearly 3,000 years. The relics will be unearthed in the next few days.

Rusty and incredibly delicate. This bronzeware has been buried for nearly 3 thousand years. Wang Zhankui has been an archaeologist for the past 30 years, and even the bitterly cold weather couldn’t stop him from showing his excitement about this discovery.

Wang Zhankui, Archaeologist, Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, said, "This tomb has been remarkably preserved. This kind of burial custom and the quantity of bronze in the recessed niches is rarely seen and provides a great example for studies into the customs of the time."

This bronzeware has been buried for nearly 3000 years.

Wang Zhankui and his team have been working at the site for the past 4 months. The bronzeware is located in 8 recesses inside the tomb.

The bronzeware would have served a variety of purposes- including cooking implements, food storage containers and for holding liquor and water.

"Based on the quantity and delicate patterns of the bronzeware, we guess that the owner of the tomb is no ordinary man. The owner must have been from a noble family." Wang said.

Important inscriptions on bronze pieces was common practise at the time to record something significant. Experts hope they will find more evidence that will help identify the owner of the tomb after unearthing the relics.

This bronzeware has been buried for nearly 3000 years.