Two Millenia Old Tombs and Genghis Khan's Wells Found in China

Archaeologists have found a 1,700-year-old tomb dating back to the Jin Dynasty at a construction site in China's Jiangxi Province.

The researchers found the three-chamber tomb in the capital city of Nanchang, marking the third time that a tomb dating to the Jin Dynasty has been found within China's borders, the Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.

In March, a tomb dating back to the later half of the 265 A.D. to 420 A.D. dynasty was found in another construction site in Nanchang, along with dozens of porcelain and lacquer wares.

In 1997, Chinese officials also found six tombs linked to the earlier portion of the dynasty. The trio of discoveries, the most recent including six historical funeral objects, may hold a clue to the mysterious Chinese dynasty. "That so many tombs from the Jin Dynasty are unearthed in Nanchang indicates a booming economy and culture in Nanchang during that period," Jiangxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology Director Fan Changsheng explained.

Last year, Chinese archaeologists found a complex of tombs dated the same age in eastern China's Zheijiang Province. The tombs were found at a construction site near the port city of Ningbo and are the best-preserved ancient tombs ever discovered in the region. There were found figures of fish, beasts, dragons and phoenixes etched in the walls but also porcelain vessels, copper money and bronze mirrors.

Recently, Chinese archaeologists have discovered a series of ancient wells that might have provided water for Genghis Khan's legendary hordes during their campaign in Western Xia. So, Genghis Khan might have indeed marched through the city of Ordos on his expedition into Western Xia.

More than 80 wells were found, spaced 10 meters (33 feet) apart, and which were apparently used by the expedition's thousands of soldiers and horses. The wells may be part of the "100 Wells" cited in ancient story, "The Untold Story of Mongolia," which counts facts from the history of the region and its Mongol raiders from 700 to 1240.