Ancient Tomb Found in 3,000 Year Old Capital

Xinhua, 22 March 2001

ZHENGZHOU, March 22 (Xinhua)—An ancient tomb, dating back over 3,000 years, was discovered recently in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province and also the former capital of the Shang Dynasty (1600 to 1046 BC) in its early period.

A large number of bronze and jade items were unearthed from the 1.8 meter long, 0.7 meter wide and one meter deep tomb. The bronze items included a ding, which is a three-legged cauldron for meat and cereals, a jue, which is a tripod vessel with a handle and open spout, a zun, which is a cup used for drinking or warming wine, and some weapons.

Most of the bronze articles had been broken before they were buried in the tomb, while the ancient weapons and jade pieces were intact, according to archaeologists.

The tomb was found at the southern part of the ancient capital, which is the largest and most well protected Shang capital site that has been found. The discovery of the tomb will shed more light on the study of the history of the Shang Dynasty.