DATONG CITY, CHINA—Live Science reports that a circular tomb decorated with murals has been excavated in northern China. The 1,000-year-old tomb had been looted, and the name of its occupant has not survived, but a three-foot-tall statue of him was left behind. The figure, which may have been substituted for the body in the burial, is sitting cross-legged on a platform and smiling, wearing a long black robe. The tomb’s ceiling was decorated with bright red stars connected with straight lines to form constellations. Images on the walls depict attendants carrying fruit and drinks. A reclining deer, a crane, bamboo trees, and a turtle are also shown. Other animals in the paintings may have been pets of the deceased, described in the new journal Chinese Cultural Relics by a team from the Datong Municipal Institute of Archaeology as “a black and white cat with a red ribbon on its neck and a silk-strip ball in its mouth,” and “a black and white dog with a red ribbon on its neck and a curved tail.” To read about other archaeological depictions of dogs, see "More Than Man's Best Friend."
