X-post from Tim 't Hart's EastAsianArch list.
With kind permission.

****************

Ancient coins found at construction site in Shaanxi

www.chinaview.cn 2006-04-11 10:03:07

XI'AN, April 11 (Xinhua) -- One ton of ancient coins dating back about 900
years were unearthed Sunday at a construction site in northwest China's
Shaanxi Province.

The coins were found in a brick cellar about 6-7 meters underground when an
excavator was working on the site in Pucheng County. The owner of the coins
remained a mystery.

A witness said the cellar was full of scattered coins and others bunched
with rotten leather strips. Many coins are rusty.

Some coins have been confirmed to belong to Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127)
while others unidentified because of erosion.

Local authorities on cultural relics have put the coins into protection.

In January, archaeologists in the history-laden Shaanxi discovered an
ancient tomb in the suburb of the provincial capital Xi'an, possibly of a
coin collector dating back more than 600 years.

Archaeologists found over 150 coins of different dynasties, which might have
been collected by the owner of the tomb who was interested in ancient coins.

Source:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-04/11/content_4409598.htm

 

 

with kind regards,

Matthias Arnold (Art-Eastasia list)

http://www.chinaresource.org
http://www.fluktor.de

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