Nothing has been found inside the coffin's inner chamber at the Laoshan tomb in Beijing. Archaeologists found only decorative patterns of silk fabrics when the outer chamber of the ancient tomb was opened Sunday.
A senior archaeologist said thieves had stolen everything in the coffin.
It took archeologists half a day today to open the lid of the coffin inside the tomb dating back to the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-24 A.D.).
The tomb was accidentally found early this year. Archeological excavations have continued since then.
The 12-meter-tall tomb occupies an area half the size of a football field.
Wang Wuyu, who is in charge of the excavation, said some of the unearthed objects from the Laoshan tomb indicate that the tomb occupant was a king of the Yan Kingdom.
(People's Daily 09/26/2000)
