An aerial view of excavation area for the tombs discovered to the north of Taosi village, Xiangfen county, Shanxi [Photo/Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology]

Two out of five tombs discovered recently in Shanxi have been identified as noble women from the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), ecns.cn reported on Feb 21.

The two tombs were discovered to the north of Taosi village, Xiangfen county. One set of remains is of a pregnant woman in her thirties.

Jade ornaments were found around the necks, arms and feet of the bodies. A number of cultural relics, such as bronze wares and pottery, were also unearthed from the tombs.

According to Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, the women were likely to be members of the upper class during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) due to the quantity and quality of items contained in their tombs, as well as the size of the tombs.

The Taosi village burial site, covering an area of 24 hectares, has 1,283 tombs and five horse and chariot pits that have been discovered so far. Since 2014, 17 of the tombs, 80 bronze wares and hundreds of jade items have been unearthed.