XI'AN, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists announced on Tuesday that they had found more than 100 delicate and well-preserved porcelain objects in a 900-year-old family cemetery in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.
More than 60 pieces of artifacts, including tea and wine sets, utensils, and sacrificial vessels, were recognized as Yaozhou porcelain, which is renowned as one of the six most famous ceramics in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), according to a press conference held by the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology.
Their manufacturing date can be traced back to 1123.
Two of the five tombs were robbed in 2010, and the porcelain pieces were found in another three tombs. They are believed to have belonged to a family surnamed Meng in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). Located in Chang'an District of Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi, the tombs were excavated by archaeologists between June and October.
"These tombs were relocated from other places and specially built for family members who died at a young age," said archaeologist Miao Yifei, adding that the tomb owners were aged 30 or younger.
The discovery of this family tomb and porcelain will provide a reference on future studies of burial systems and funerary objects during the Northern Song Dynasty, and can be significant to the country's ceramics research, said Wang Xiaomeng, deputy head of the institute.
The Yaozhou kiln was built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). As one of the most famous kilns in north China, it saw its heyday during the Song Dynasty. Enditem
