Bronze Mirrors Unearthed in Northwestern China

SHAANXI PROVINCE, CHINA—Xinhua reports that pottery and more than 80 delicate bronze mirrors and other bronze items have been discovered in a cemetery of more than 400 tombs in northwest China. The mirrors are thought to have been manufactured during the Warring States Period, from 475 to 221 B.C., and the Western Han Dynasty, from 206 B.C. to A.D. 9. Some of the mirrors remained glossy and reflective. Most of them were placed close to the heads of the deceased, which included men and women, or around their upper bodies. People buried in this cemetery are thought to have been nobles who lived in a nearby centralized residence area created by Liu Bang, founder of the Han Dynasty. To read about another recent funerary find in China, go to "Around the World: China."