Ancient bronze ware retrieved from overseas

TAIYUAN - Police in North China's Shanxi province have retrieved two pieces of bronze ware dating back to the early Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC- 771 BC), the provincial public security department announced Sunday.

The two pieces of bronze ware, called "Yifangyi" and "Yizun," had both been robbed from a tomb in the city of Yuncheng before they were sold to several cities in China and then lost overseas, according to the police.

Yizun is an open-mouthed bronze ware with inscriptions of 23 characters cast in it. Another bronze ware Yifangyi is a cuboid container used as drinking vessel in ancient times with beast-face patterns and same inscriptions on it.

Archaeologists said judging from the inscriptions on the two items, they can deduce that the bronze ware were from the early Western Zhou Dynasty and the tomb owner of the bronze ware had a relatively high political status at that time.

The two pieces of bronze ware with exquisite patterns are extremely rare and valuable. Archaeologists identified them as cultural relics of the top level under national protection, the police said.