BEIJING, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The following are highlights of China's archaeological news from the past week:

-- Ancient tomb cluster unearthed in east China

Archaeologists have excavated 12 ancient tombs dating back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) in east China's Shandong Province.

The tomb cluster, which includes 11 tombs with exquisitely carved brick murals, is located in the eastern suburbs of the provincial capital Jinan, said Li Ming, director of the city's archeology institute.

The written evidence found there suggests that the tombs belonged to a family surnamed Guo in the late Yuan Dynasty, said Li, adding that the scale of the tomb cluster is the largest of the unearthed brick mural tombs of the Yuan Dynasty in the province.

-- 8,200-year-old lacquerware found in east China

Archaeologists in east China's Zhejiang Province recently identified two items of lacquerware dating back more than 8,000 years, making them the earliest ever found in China.

The lacquerware items were unearthed at the Jingtoushan ruins in the city of Yuyao, administered by the city of Ningbo. The Jingtoushan ruins were identified as the earliest and most deeply buried shell-mound site in the coastal areas of China, with a history of between 7,800 and 8,300 years.

According to Sun Guoping, the archaeological team leader at the site, the new discovery extends the history of Chinese lacquerware to about 8,300 years ago.

"One of the lacquerware may be the remnants of a canoe or a part of the speaker of a musical instrument, while the other should be used for weaving. They are both practical and ceremonial, representing the pursuit of exquisite life by ancient human beings," Sun added. Enditem

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