[CPProt.net] China: Tomb raiders crack 2000-year-old vault

[MusSecNetworkCulPropProtNet]

 Tomb raiders crack 2000-year-old vault
>From correspondents in Beijing
February 10, 2005

CHINESE archaeologists unearthed a rare 2000-year-old tomb only to find
nothing left in the main chamber but a modern pair of gloves, state media
reported today.

The tomb in Xi'an, the imperial capital of the Han Dynasty which ruled
between 206 BC and 220 AD, is approached by a long path dug 11m underground
and sheathed with sand walls.

But when excited archaeologists entered the main chamber they found robbers
had beaten them to it, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Robbers figured out how to sneak into the tomb by digging up from below,"
Xiao Jianyi, an archaeologist with the Shaanxi Provincial Relics and
Archaeology Institute, said.

"Nothing is left inside the main chamber, except a pair of modern gloves." 

Much of China's cultural heritage is fast disappearing with ancient sites
regularly damaged or destroyed for relics which are smuggled overseas to
meet booming demand.

Despite their disappointment in the main chamber, archaeologists discovered
two side chambers intact.

Rare pieces of China were discovered in one, including five vessels believed
to be wine glasses. In the other, large quantities of lacquer and bronze
ware were found, Xinhua said.

The tomb belonged to a high-ranking aristocrat. 


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