China's Shaanxi sees record number of ancient tombs excavated in 2020

A record number of 3,956 ancient tombs were discovered in Northwest China's Shaanxi province in 2020, according to the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration.

The tombs were found in 179 archeological projects that the province conducted last year, while about 105,800 square meters of ancient sites were excavated during the period.

Since 2011, archaeologists in Shaanxi have been exploring the outside of the world-renowned mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang and discovered over 30 ancient tombs.

According to archaeological research published last year, the No 1 Pit in the mausoleum site is the largest and best-preserved tomb in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) excavated so far, and relics from the tomb show that it was owned by a high-ranking noble.

More delicate relics were found in other ancient tomb sites discovered last year, including the Zhaishan ruins dating back 4,000 years and family cemeteries in the dynasties of Sui (581-618) and Northern Song (960-1127).