What has been learned about the tomb?

Inside were three corpses – two adults and a child, and several clay products. One of them, the “land coupon”, indicates that the tomb was built between AD 1190 and 1196, when the area was under the rule of the Yurchen Jin or “Great Jin” province. So, this building is about 830 years old.

The tomb was excavated by workers in mid-2019 near Dongfengshan village, about 650 kilometers southwest of Beijing, according to the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archeology.

• The building is oriented towards the south and shows similarities with other similar structures found in this area.
• It consists of a “grave path” leading to a staircase leading to an inner chamber, about 2 meters long on either side, under an intricate octagonal tower of stepped bricks.

A tomb found in China / Photo by Shanxi Archaeological Institute

A tomb found in China / Photo by Shanxi Archaeological Institute

• The entire room is covered with brick, which resembles carved wood, but is not painted, according to archaeologists.
• The walls of the tomb are also elaborately decorated with two figures believed to represent lions, sea anemones, flowers and guardian spirits.

Archaeologists from the Shanxi Institute say the three bodies found there belonged to two adults aged 50-60 and a child aged 6-8.

Remains found in the tomb / Photograph, Shanxi Institute of Archeology

A tomb found in China / Photo by Shanxi Archaeological Institute

The “Great Jin” was the second Chinese province to have this name and is often referred to as the Yurchen Jin province to distinguish it from the others. He appeared in the midst of revolts against the previous Liao dynasty, which ruled the region and fell to the invading Mongols in 1234.

A tomb found in China / Photo by Shanxi Archaeological Institute

A tomb found in China / Photo by Shanxi Archaeological Institute

A tomb found in China / Photo by Shanxi Archaeological Institute