Civilian tombs of Tang Dynasty found in China's Hebei

A cluster of civilian tombs dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618 AD-907 AD) have been unearthed in Fucheng county, North China's Hebei province, after the ruins were discovered at a construction site.

The tomb chambers each measuring 2.4 meters long, 1.2 meters wide and 0.8 meter high are built with carved bricks.

Qi Hongxia, director of the Cultural Relic Preservation Institute in Fucheng, said the rope-patterned carvings on tomb bricks, the tomb building design and structure, red pottery items and copper coins with marks of Kaiyuan all indicate the Middle Tang Dynasty, dating back more than 1,200 years.

The Kaiyuan Era (713-741) of the Tang Dynasty was one of the golden ages of Chinese history.

Qi said archeologists found building tiles, ancient wells and pottery fragments near the cemetery, implying the place was a civilian residential area, with production workshops and graveyards.

In one of the tombs, archeologists found lacquer bowls, white porcelain bowls, Kaiyuan Tongbao copper coins, red pottery jars and other buried objects. Some coins were found in the mouth of the tomb owner. Remains of small animals were found in the red pottery jars, which were placed in the upper right corner over the head of the tomb owner.

Qi said the tombs provide historical evidence of the civilian lifestyle and funeral customs in the central Hebei plain area during the Tang Dynasty.