5,000-year-old jade 'dragon' unearthed in tomb in China

Researchers in China have discovered a jade Dragons in a 5,000 year old tomb.

The artifact measures 6.2 inches long and 3.7 inches wide (15.8 x 9.5 centimeters) and was found in a circular tomb with a square altar to the south, according to the official state news agency Xinhua reported. Human remains were also found in the tomb, as well as a large amount of ceramics, including cups, basins and pots in the shape of tripods.

The tomb, located in the city of Chifeng in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is between 5,000 and 5,100 years old and dates back to a time when the Hongshan culture flourished in the region. The people of this Neolithic culture grew crops, built large cities with large buildings, and created intricate artifacts. The new find is the largest example of a jade dragon created by the Hongshan culture ever discovered, Xinhua reported.

Although the discovery is “very beautiful, but not that unique,” Gideon Shelach-LaviProfessor of East Asian Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Live Science told Live Science in an email. Shelach-Lavi has excavated at Chifeng in the past but was not involved in the new discovery.

Related: 800-year-old healing bowl with double-headed dragon unearthed in Turkish castle

Archaeologists excavate a stone burial site in Chifeng. (Image credit: Xinhua / Alamy Stock Photo)

He noted that jade dragon artifacts of similar size were discovered in other tombs of the Hongshan culture in the past. He also noted that researchers cannot be sure whether the newly found or previously found jade dragons actually represent dragons. “We don’t really know what their significance was during the Neolithic period, so calling them ‘dragons’ is anachronistic,” Shelach-Lavi said.

The site where the artifacts and human remains were found is more than a grave. “It is a ritual structure that contains, among other things, graves of specific people,” Shelach-Lavi said. He noted that similar structures were found in previous excavations at another site called Niuheliang.

Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.

Live Science contacted archaeologists who made the new discovery in Chifeng but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

5,000-year-old jade ‘dragon’ unearthed in tomb in China

Recent Posts