Archaeologists discovered a “bridge to the afterlife”

(ORDO NEWS) — Chinese archaeologists during excavations in the Hunan province in the center of the country discovered a tomb dating from the reign of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127 AD), in which a “bridge to the underworld” for the buried married couple was built, reports the portal rg.ru .

Xinhua News Agency spoke about the opening. It was made in the village of Nanpantan, located near the city of Ningxiang. Archaeologists have unearthed a tomb there about 1000 years old, belonging to the Northern Song Dynasty.

Inside, skeletons were discovered, presumably of spouses buried together. According to the Provincial Research Institute for Cultural Relics and Archeology, the tomb is part of a large funerary complex that was discovered back in 2007. However, this object was found only this year, when a highway began to be laid near the village.

The tomb consists of two burial chambers that are connected to each other by a tiny window. In ancient China, such windows were called fabulous or magical bridges. According to Yang Ningbo, a research fellow at the institute, the “fairy bridge” was built so that the couple could continue their marriage in the afterlife.

At the same time, the archaeologist noted that family burials at that time were widespread. However, the “fairy bridge” is very rare in such tombs.

By the way, another tomb was also excavated in the same area, presumably related to the period of the reign of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD). In it, archaeologists discovered 13 ritual objects, including metal and earthenware.

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