Gold plates indicate tomb's royal Han origin

Researchers carefully brush dirt off hoof-shaped gold ingots and golden plates on Friday at the excavation and research lab of the Marquis Haihun tomb in Nanchang, Jiangxi province. [Photo by Guo Jing/Asianewsphoto]

Ongoing archaeological exploration at a high-profile Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD24) tomb site in eastern China has yielded new finds some bearing typical traits that experts say belong to Han royal family.

Gold plates, rarely seen in other contemporary Han archaeological finds, were discovered and removed for the first time since the Marquis Haihun tomb excavation started in 2011. About 10 gold plates were carefully sorted out and placed on clean cloths.

The new finds, together with excavated hoof-shaped gold ingots inlaid with jade or glass - a material typically used solely by the royal Han family-are seen as new proof that the tomb belonged to Liu He (92-59 BC), the deposed eighth Han emperor who reined for only 27 days, according to Yang Jun, the excavation team leader.

A researchers carefully brushes dirt off a hoof-shaped gold ingot on Friday at the excavation and research lab of the Marquis Haihun tomb in Nanchang, Jiangxi province. [Photo by Guo Jing/Asianewsphoto]

"This (finding of the gold plates) give us more reasons to believe the tomb belongs to a high-ranking royal Han family, and to be more specific, Marquis Haihun", Yang said at the site of the tomb chamber.

As for when the archaeologists will open the inner coffin, he said that due to changing excavation conditions, expert team members are still evaluating the outer and inner condition of the coffin and a final decision has not been reached.

Marking one of the most important archaeological discoveries in decades, the excavation has become a buzzword in the Chinese community. Journalists from all forms of Chinese media have flocked to the excavation site and research lab in the suburbs about a 90-minute drive from Nanchang.