XI'AN - Archaeologists have confirmed that a black substance found in an ancient tomb in northwest China's Shaanxi province is actually a 2,000-year-old portion of beef.

Scientists arrived at the conclusion after months of high-tech analysis confirmed the substance's makeup, according to Hu Songmei, a paleontologist from the provincial archaeological institute.

The beef, most of which had been carbonized, is the earliest beef product discovered in China, Hu said.

The beef was discovered two years ago in a bronze pot placed in a tomb that is believed to date back to the Warring States Period (475 BC - 221 BC), she said.

The tomb was discovered during a two-year excavation project conducted by the institute that began in 2009 in the village of Wanli in the provincial capital of Xi'an.

Hu said the beef did not shrink, proving that it had been dried before being put into the pot.