Ancient bronze mirror discovered in NW China

A rare bronze mirror has been unearthed along with fifteen pieces of pottery and an iron axe in the town of Liulin, located in Fengxiang County in northwest China's Shaanxi Province. The mirror was discovered after local residents dug up soil near a Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) tomb while trying to install electrical cables, according to archaeologists from the Fengxiang County Museum. The archaeologists said most bronze mirrors from the Han Dynasty feature inscriptions with just four, eight or 12 words. The inscriptions on the newly found mirror contain 48 words in total, making the mirror a rare find, according to the archaeologists. The archaeologists have yet to discover who owned the tomb. However, they said the new finds will contribute to studies of the spread of Chinese culture along the ancient Silk Road, a mercantile route that linked China to central Asia.