Lama Cave Tomb Complex of the Three Yan Culture

Lama Cave Tomb Complex of the Three Yan Culture

The Beipiao Lama Cave Tomb Site is located on the western hillside of Lamacun Village Group, Sijiaban Village, Nanbajia Township, Beipiao City, Liaoning Province. It derives its name from a Qing Dynasty lama temple in the village and a cave behind the temple.

More than 3,100 cultural relics (sets) have been unearthed, including iron horse saddlery, a complete set of gilded bronze openwork belt fittings, and soy-glazed pottery sheep-shaped wine vessels, all of which were first found in tombs of the Three Yan Culture, thereby enriching the cultural significance of this period. The Beipiao Lama Cave Tomb Site of the Xianbei nobility is the largest excavation of Xianbei cultural remains to date, with a total of 419 tombs discovered. These date from the late 3rd century to the early 4th century and yielded nearly 3,000 cultural artifacts. Tomb structures and many burial objects were previously unseen, showcasing the rich content and unique characteristics of Xianbei culture. The complete set of armor consisting of helmets, iron armor, and horse gear represents the earliest known physical examples in China. The coexistence of a large number of iron weapons and production tools indicates that the social structure within the Xianbei community had shifted from nomadic pastoralism to agriculture. Horse gear and gold items also reveal strong influences from similar artifacts found on the Korean Peninsula and in Japan.

Protected area: With M101 tomb at the center (longitude 120°42′55″, latitude 41°39′28″) as the reference point, the protected zone extends 175 meters east, 75 meters south and west, and 85 meters north.

Construction control zone: An area within 200 meters outside the protected zone is designated as a Class V construction control area.

Further reading:

· Eighth Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Liaoning Province

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Heritage Protection Units