1,000-Year-Old Painted Tomb Uncovered in China

HOHHOT, CHINA—According to a Xinhua report, a tomb thought to date the beginning of the Liao Dynasty (A.D. 907–1125) has been discovered in eastern Inner Mongolia. Topped with a capstone made of two huge pieces of imported granite, the tomb consists of a single chamber whose ceiling is decorated with paintings of cranes. Artifacts from the tomb include objects made of gold and glass. Lian Jilin of the Inner Mongolia Regional Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology said the tomb’s occupant was likely to have been a member of the royal family of the nomadic Khitans who ruled northern China at the time. To read about painted murals in another Liao Dynasty burial, go to "Tomb Couture."