Earliest Tang dynasty landscape mural unearthed

The earliest known landscape mural from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) was unearthed in Northwest China's Shaanxi province, the Shaanxi Institute of Archaeology said.

The mural was found in a tomb believed to be that of Li Daojian, a great-grandson of the first Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan. The single chamber brick tomb was excavated in Fuping County in 2017, according to the institute.

Archaeologists were able to identify the dates and owner of the tomb from an epigraph from the tomb, despite the tomb showing signs of looting.

Although some of the murals were affected by flooding and theft, what remains still has rich patterns, said Wang Xiaomeng, deputy dean of the institute.

The tomb is located near Xi'an, which was the capital of 13 dynasties.