The Lin Village Tomb Cluster

The Lin Village Tomb Cluster

The Lin Village Tomb Cluster is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Period: Warring States to Han Dynasty

The Lin Village Tomb Cluster is located in the areas of Lin Village, Hu Village, Jian'gou, and Jiuwulou in Handan City, Hebei Province, China. It dates back to the Warring States and Han Dynasty periods. Designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit of Handan County in Handan City, it is categorized as an ancient tomb site, officially listed in May 2013.

The total approved excavation area of the Lin Village Tomb Cluster is 20,000 square meters, and all field excavations have been completed, with a total of 20,125 square meters excavated. Archaeologists have uncovered and excavated 262 tombs, 18 ditches, 15 wells, 238 ash pits, one turtle-shaped altar, one stove, and unearthed more than 1,300 complete artifacts. The tombs date from the Han, Sui, Tang, Song, Jin, Yuan, and Qing dynasties, and the unearthed relics include pottery, bronze, and porcelain items such as jars, pots, bowls, plates, spoons, wine cups, cups, and lid finials. The site is speculated to date from the transition period between the Xia and Shang dynasties. Items found in the ash pits include pottery, bone, and stone artifacts, with identifiable shapes such as li tripods, ding cauldrons, ? , jars, basins, urns, vessel lids, as well as tools like shovels, sickles, axes, chisels, awls, and knives.

The unique structures of large-scale tombs from the Warring States period, the boundary ditches of the Zhao State cemetery, and the discovery of vertical earthen cave tombs from the early Warring States period have all filled gaps in Hebei’s archaeological record.

Further reading:

· Second Batch of Hebei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units