Ancient glass, jade ornaments unearthed in Ningxia ( 2003-11-24 15:18) (Xinhua)
A tiny vase-shaped glass and
a jade dragon-shaped pendant, dating back to the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220
A.D.), have been excavated in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
This was the first time that such kinds of relics had ever beenfound in the
Han tombs in Ningxia and they were rarely found in other places of China, said
archaeologists with the regional archaeological research institute.
Local archaeologists have been excavating a New Stone Age site,two tombs of
the Han Dynasty and 12 medium and small-sized tombs of the Tang Dynasty
(618-907) since early November this year. Theyhave unearthed large quantities of
pottery, bronze and lacquer items, terra-cotta warriors and other relics.
The glass vase and the jade pendant were excavated from one of the Han tombs,
located on Jiulong Mountain in the southern suburbsof Guyuan City.
The light blue glass vase is only one centimeter high, with a one centimeter
diameter at its center. The grayish white jade dragon is almost round in shape,
with the "dragon tail" turning up.
Archaeologists guessed that the items could be trappings or ornaments used to
decorate utensils.
Many tombs of the Han Dynasty have been excavated in Ningxia inrecent years,
but funeral objects unearthed from the tombs were mostly bronze mirrors, pans,
washbasins, censers, and lacquer ware.
Yu Jun, a research fellow with the regional archaeological research
institute, said the glass and jade ware showed the tomb owner enjoyed a higher
social status.
The glass and jade relics are not only of significant archaeological value,
but also of high artistic value, Yu said.
From the tomb where they were found, archaeologists also discovered a special
hair clasp made with six thin bones, the first such hair clasp unearthed from
Han tombs in Ningxia.
Hair clasps were ornaments ancient Chinese women used to tie uptheir hair and
were often discovered in ancient tombs. But most hair clasps are U-shaped or
small and straight.
