4,000-year-old tombs unearthed in southeast China

Chinese archaeologists have unearthed 31 tombs dating back about 4,000 years from the bottom of a reservoir in Fuqing city in southeast China's Fujian province, the state media reported on Thursday.

The 31 pre-historic tombs are scattered in an area of 800 square meters at the bottom of the Dongzhang Reservoir,
which has dried up due to continual droughts.

Archaeologists have excavated the area during the past two months, unearthing 123 funeral objects from the tombs. The relics range from pottery to stone tools to jade ware. Each of these tombs is about 2 meters long and 0.5 to 0.6 meters
wide, Xinhua news agency reported.

Comparing with articles unearthed from other parts of Fujian, experts concluded that the tombs belonged to a period between the late New Stone Age and the early Bronze Age, dating back to 3,500 to 4,000

years.

The Dongzhang Reservoir was formerly an open flat land surrounded by mountains. Experts say that ancient people in the area farmed instead of fished, because the researches have not found any tools used in fishing.

They also said the unearthed relics provided material evidence for the study of pre-history cultural development in Fujian Province.

Archaeologists conducted an excavation in the area when the Dongzhang Reservoir was first built in 1957, but only found the foundations of a residence of the Bronze Age.

They have now decided to expand their excavations to about 10,000 square meters in area to search for more traces
of prehistoric humans.