HOHHOT, June 7 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese archeologists have announced their recent discovery of a fragmented silk painting and a brassiere in tombs at least 1,000 years old.
Fragments of a silk painting of steeds were unearthed from a Liao Dynasty (916 - 1125) tomb in a village in Xinhui town, Aohan Banner of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region in north China.
"Unlike frescos that are often found in Liao Dynasty tombs, this one is an independent painting scroll and must have been the tomb owner's favorite," said Shao Guotian, head of the Aohan Banner Museum.
Shao said this was the second discovery of silk paintings from the Liao Dynasty, an empire founded by the Khitan ethnic group.
"The first one, reported in Faku county of Liaoning Province, northeast China, contained only simple sketches of rabbits or flowers. This one with horses, in contrast, was far more complicated," he said.
Discovery of the silk painting -- though fragmentary -- was one of great significance because it was the first one ever found to depict horses, which were close friends of the nomadic Khitans, and gave hints on the life of the nomadic clan, he added.
In the same tomb, archeological workers also found a cotton padded brassiere that was golden in color, daintily designed and was very similar in style and in function to those worn by modern women.
"It was made of fine silk and had shoulder strings and back strings just like brassieres of today," said Shao. "It's a pity most of the cotton padding in the cups already decayed."
From another two Liao Dynasty tombs in Aohan Banner, Shao and his colleagues unearthed over 30 pieces of fine chinaware, including bowls and kettles engraved with phoenixes and peonies.
All the three tombs had been broken into by thieves before the official excavation, said Shao. "If only we had dug earlier, we might have found an entire painting of horses."
According to Shao, more than 90 percent of the deserted Liao Dynasty tombs in the region needed further excavation. "There's a lot more for us to do." Enditem
