Ancient Royal Tomb Complex Found in Shanxi, China

A cluster of 12 royal tombs dating back more than 3,000 years was unearthed in northern China''s Shanxi province, local archaeological authorities confirmed Thursday.

According to Bai Shuzhang, a leading researcher in the excavation team, the findings offer new keys to the investigation of the Yin capital of the Shang Dynasty, renowned for its great discovery of oracle bones.

The team carried out an urgent excavation of the old complex in August 2017, given the tombs had suffered significant damage with four of its five major chambers looted.

More than a hundred objects made of copper, ceramics; porcelain and jade were also unearthed in the tombs.

The Shang dynasty ruled northern China for more than six centuries. They lived in a series of towns along the Huang He and had the capital in Anyang, a city with many palaces and temples, built mainly from carved wood. The Zhou dynasty replaced Shang in 1122 BC.