A cat frieze is found in a tomb dating back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279) in Gaojiahe Village of Ningqiang County, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 22, 2019. (Photo provided to Xinhua)
Are these feline friezes evidence of ancient cat fans?
XI'AN, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Five tombs dating back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) have been discovered in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, the provincial institute of archaeology said Wednesday.
They were found during road maintenance work at the beginning of the year in Gaojiahe Village, Ningqiang County, in the south of the province.
The five tombs dating back to the Song Dynasty in Gaojiahe Village of Ningqiang County, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 22, 2019. (Photo provided to Xinhua)
The five tombs all feature brick chambers, according to Li Kun, head of the archaeological team.
Excavations by the institute and Ningqiang archaeological department lasted from February to August. More than 30 burial items including pottery, porcelain, bronze mirrors and copper coins have been unearthed.
A cat frieze is found in a tomb dating back to the Song Dynasty in Gaojiahe Village of Ningqiang County, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 22, 2019. (Photo provided to Xinhua)
Notably, two cat sculptural wall reliefs were found on the walls of two of the brick chambers, which is rare in ancient Chinese tombs. Archaeologists believe that this supports the theory that cats were kept as pets in the Song Dynasty.
Li added that the discoveries have provided important materials for the study of local culture at the time of the transition between the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) and the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). ■
