A team of archaeologists has uncovered a tomb decorated with brick chambers dating back to the Jin Dynasty in Shanxi Province.
Excavations were conducted by the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archeology near the village of Dongfengshan in Yuanqu County following the construction of a new pipeline. The tomb dates back to the Jin Dynasty who reigned between 1115 AD and 1234 AD. The chamber tomb has a square shape built with bricks carved in imitation of wood. The structure consists of the main burial chamber which is accessed by a stepped passage leading through a corridor from a sealed door. The length of the burial chamber measures approximately 2 meters on each side and reaches a height of 3.4 meters forming an octagonal roof with 13 sloping superimposed layers of bricks. The north wall of the chamber is decorated on both sides with a depiction of a man and a woman seated behind tables on richly carved chairs. The man is shown with a goatee and wearing a belted suit, while the woman is shown in a double-breasted suit with her hands folded in her sleeves.
On the west and east walls there are carved lattice panels or doors with flowers on the lower partition. The tops of the panels show different patterns of concave, octagonal or uniform square shapes. They were deposited in the chamber three burials composed of a small child and two deceased adults aged between 50 and 60 years. Next to the burials were porcelain bowls, vases, a lamp and enamelled vases. Also discovered was a brick land purchase certificate with an inscription that roughly translates as “Village Wang” with the names of “Gongcao and Mingchang”. An examination of the certificate dates it to around 1190 AD-1196 AD during the reign of Emperor Zhangzong of Jin. Speaking about the find, the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archeology said: “The excavation of this tomb has enriched our understanding of the Jin Dynasty in the southern area of Shanxi. The land purchase certificate has a clear date which provides an accurate basis for dating other graves to the same period”. The Jin dynasty ruled until the last emperor, Aizong, committed suicide by hanging himself to avoid being captured by the Mongols.
