A group of archaeologists have unearthed a 1,700-year-old cemetery filled with mythical carvings along Silk Road, a historical international trade route between China and the Mediterranean.
Researchers from Xinjiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, led by director Zhiyong Yu, were baffled when they excavated the cemetery and discovered the history behind it. The tombs don't have names so the team does not have any clue as to who are buried there. But, the designs of the tombs suggest that they were made for wealthy people, according to LiveScience.
The cemetery, found in the city of Kucha in northwest China in 2007, has ten tombs, seven of which are large brick structures. One tomb, dubbed as "M3," has carvings of mythical creatures representing the different seasons and parts of the heavens: White Tiger of the West, the Vermilion Bird of the South, the Black Turtle of the North and the Azure Dragon of the East. There are also signs that the tombs had been robbed which made it difficult for the excavation team to collect more information.
Further analysis of the skeletal remains revealed that the tombs were reused by more than 10 bodies. The researchers plan to continue their study and focus on the idea of multiple burials along the Silk Road.
Further details of the discovery were published in the journal of Chinese Cultural Relics.
