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A "danglu" (a decorative horse ornament) discovered in an ancient tomb in Zhengcun village, Taiyuan in North China's Shanxi Province Photo: CCTV

The Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology in North China's Shanxi Province has revealed new excavation findings discovered in an ancient tomb in Zhengcun village, Taiyuan. The tomb, dating from the reign of Wang Mang (9-23) to the early Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), has yielded various artifacts including ceramics, copper, lead, and glass items and a distinctive danglu, a decorative horse ornament, according to a report by state broadcaster CCTV.

The excavation, conducted from July to November 2022 as part of a rescue operation for a new hospital project, was led by the Taiyuan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. In total, 23 tombs from various periods were uncovered, but the M2 tomb is the most notable.

Located in the southwestern part of the excavation area, M2 is the only brick-chamber tomb discovered. Although the tomb had been damaged, a range of artifacts, including ceramics, copper, lead, and glass items, were recovered.

The tomb's construction is a sloped-brick design, with the structure oriented south to north. It features a passage, a door chamber, a front room, and a rear room that served as a burial space for two individuals. 

The 15 funerary artifacts recovered were made from ceramics, copper, lead, and glass. Ten ceramic pieces were found, primarily made of gray clay, with most being wheel-thrown or made using molds, and a few molded by hand. The ceramics included jars, pitchers, bowls, stoves, wells, and ceramic dogs. The copper items include one cutting tool and two coins, while the glass item was a single earring.

The most remarkable discovery was a lead danglu, which was well preserved and skillfully made, featuring engravings of three of the four traditional Chinese mythical creatures   -Xuanwu(Black Warrior), Baihu(White Tiger), and Zhuque(Red Bird). 

"A dangluis a type of horse ornament that covers the horse's face for protection. It is often decorative due to its placement on the horse's head. The danglufound in the M2 tomb is rare and distinctive of the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220)," Liu Zheng, a member of the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics told the Global Times on Thursday.

According to Liu, the decorations of the four symbols - Qinglong(Green Dragon), Baihu, Zhuque, and Xuanwu- were popular and often used in art and decorations during the Han period. These symbols were imbued with various meanings at that time, such as "good fortune and peace."

The M2 tomb is a sloped-brick chamber tomb with a diverse range of burial items. Due to the absence of clearly dated artifacts and the lack of connections with other tombs, its date can only be estimated based on the tomb's structure and the characteristics of the recovered items.

The structure of the M2 tomb is relatively simple and features a design that became popular around the Wang Mang period. Additionally, the texture, manufacturing methods, shapes, and decorations of the burial items suggest similarities to those found in early Eastern Han tombs. The coins found in the tomb were in circulation from the Wang Mang period through the early Eastern Han Dynasty.

Based on the tomb's structure, the combination of burial items and their characteristics, the tomb dates to the Wang Mang period to the early Eastern Han Dynasty. In 2018, a nearby archaeological project around 800 meters northwest of M2, part of a railway construction project, also uncovered a significant number of Han tombs. 

The excavation of M2 has provided valuable information for deeper research into the production, lifestyle, craftsmanship, beliefs, and burial customs of the people in the Taiyuan region during the Han Dynasty, according to the CCTV report.