Nomad Tombs Excavated in Central China

ZHENGZHOU, CHINA—Xinhua reports that more than 90 burials have been excavated to date at the Yinxu archaeological site in central China. Most of the graves are thought to date to the Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 B.C.). Another 18 brick tombs are thought to be about 1,800 years old. Grave goods from these burials include two-handled bronze and iron pots, iron short swords, and strings of agate beads, which resemble objects used by nomads from the north who settled in central China, according to Shen Wenxi of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Anyang Station. The skeleton of a man, recovered from one of the graves, could shed additional light on these people's origins. For more on archaeology in China, go to “The Buddha of the Lake.”