A tomb of an ancient Chinese general and his princess wife discovered near modern Taiyuan, Central China, contained over 100 artefacts, among which the majority consisted of clay figurines.

The tomb was discovered at an ancient cemetery site located on the eastern foothills of the Xishan Mountains, on the west bank of the Fenhe River. The site contained numerous tombs, of which 69 were excavated. The couple was buried on March 18, in the year 564 AD, according to a sandstone inscription found in the tomb. It also describes the life of the couple Zhao Xin and his wife, Princess Neé Liu. Zhao Xin served the rulers of the Northern Qi dynasty, which controlled part of northern China from 550 to 577. He held posts as a general and at times a governor in different areas of China. Zhao Xin died at the age of 67 while still general of the garrison, according to the inscription, which does not indicate why he and his wife were buried at the same time. A detailed analysis of the bones hasn’t been published yet.

Among the grave goods, consisting of 105 artefacts, mostly pottery figurines were found, including representations of warriors, camels, oxcarts and drummers, with the tallest standing at about 56 centimetres.

(after Live Science, Chinese Cultural Relics)