Ancient tomb reveals its secrets

Archaeological research on a tomb built in the Tang Dynasty (AD618–907) revealed valuable information regarding the entombed remains, China News Service reported on Wednesday.

The tomb was discovered by the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology in August, 2013 at a construction site near Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province.

From the 982-word epitaph engraved on a slate unearthed from the tomb, archaeologists learned that the tomb was for Shangguan Wan'er, a well-known poet and politician in the Tang Dynasty.

Shangguan Wan'er was killed in AD 710 when she was 47 years old during a palace coup she took part in.