GRAVE DISCOVERY

Haunting pictures show a mass grave of 113 ancient human remains buried in clay pots in China

Archaeologists say the mysterious 2,000-year-old graves can help them understand more about the Western Han Dynasty

THESE haunting images show a mass grave of 113 ancient human remains buried in household clay pots.

The 2,000-year-old tombs were uncovered by archaeologists in central China and may help them to understand ancient burial customs of the Western Han Dynasty.

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A total of 113 human remains have been found and each of them was wrapped with two to three clay containersCredit: Alamy
The tombs are located in Huanghua, Hebei province, which was thought to be the site of ancient city FudiCredit: Alamy
Only part if the site has been excavated and more tombs could be foundCredit: Alamy

The group tombs are located in Huanghua City, northern China's Hebei province, which was thought to be the site of an ancient city called Fudi.

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It was previously thought 'urn burial' was only used on children, but six tombs were of adults while 107 belonged to youngsters.

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Zhang Baogang, the head of the Huanghua Museum, told a reporter from China's : "Due to river digging and the destruction of nature in the past 2,000 years, we have only managed to excavate part of the tomb site.

Small holes were drilled in the side of the clay coating to let the soul come and go freelyCredit: Alamy
Archaeologists discovered six tombs in May but have since found more than 100 chambersCredit: Alamy
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"We have discovered remains some 150 metres (492 miles) south of the site, which means the number of adults having been buried in urns could be much higher."

The discovery has been significant in helping archaeologists understand the burial customs of people living in Fudi, a fortress city built during the Western Han Dynasty (202BC-8).


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