11th century bronze wares unearthed in Shaanxi

Some 21 pieces of bronze ware several millennia old were accidentally found in a royal tomb on June 22 as workers were digging the foundation for a building.

Cultural heritage authorities said it was the most important discovery in 30 years in tomb archeology for the Shang Dynasty c.16th century–11th century BC and Western Zhou Dynasty c.11th century–771 BC.

The tomb, in a village in Baoji, Shaanxi province in Northwest China, is now the site of an excavation by archeologists.

According to the Shaanxi Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage, archaeologists had so far found 21 bronze wares and a chariot in the tomb, which was 4.3 meters long, 3.6 meters wide and 2.4 meters below ground.