3,000-Year-Old Royal Chariot Discovered in China

PEKING, CHINA—China Daily reports that a royal bronze chariot discovered in a village in northwest China has been partially excavated. The 3,000-year-old vehicle sported a thick layer of bronze on its wheel rims. “The wheels of chariots from the Western Zhou Dynasty that have been found previously were made of wood covered with a one centimeter layer of bronze,” announced a team from the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology. The wheels on this chariot, however, are 15 centimeters thick. Skeletal remains of three or four horses have been found in front of the chariot, along with bronze ornamental items. “One point that supports the preliminary conclusion that it is a ceremonial chariot is that we did not discovery any weapons,” added Lei Xingshan of Peking University.