Hundreds of artifacts excavated from ancient Chinese tombs

Archaeologists have found more than 500 artifacts in a tomb complex in Zhoukou, a city in Central China's Henan Province, local authorities said Tuesday.

The artifacts include pottery, bronze, iron, silver and stone items dating back thousands of years, according to Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology.

"One copper stamp is extremely valuable," said Zhu Shuzheng, a researcher with the institute and leader of the archaeology team.

Based on characters on both sides, the stamp was proved to have belonged to a government official in charge of rural civic-mindedness and folk customs in Yinyang Township.

"It is a reference to the official ranks and social culture in rural communities during the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD)," he said.

The discovery of three spade-shaped coins and 14 pottery figurines is also important for studies on money and culture.

The complex consists of 120 tombs. Among them, 105 are believed to date back to the Han Dynasty, four from Song Dynasty (960-1276) and 11 from Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).