ZHENGZHOU, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists announced Tuesday that they have discovered a monk tomb dating back to the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) in the city of Anyang, central China's Henan Province.
The brick-made tomb, 9.35 meters long and 3.6 meters wide, buried four famous monks and has an epigraph telling the life of the monks and murals depicting rare themes.
"Monk tombs with an epigraph are quite rare. The tomb we discovered has both an epigraph and four buried monks," said Kong Deming, head of the Anyang archaeology institute.
The tomb also has four chambers that respectively hold a pottery pot containing the remains of the monks in each chamber.
The epigraph, placed on an altar table, also records the history of some Buddhist temples and local places and the murals feature rare themes such as visiting a doctor.
"The murals are well preserved and they present the religions and beliefs, doctor visits and social life in the Jin Dynasty. All the findings make this tomb very unique, adding to its research value," Kong said.
