A view of the tombs discovered at Xintang county in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. [Photo/IC]

There was also an abundance of unearthed relics: stone tomahawks, crystal penannular jade ring, sonim pottery kettle from Shang Dynasty, copper bowl, copper washing, terrine from Western Han Dynasty, chicken-spout pot, dishes, bowls, and small cups from Jin and Southern Dynasties.

Zhu said that stone tomahawks were a kind of sacrificial vessel during Shang Dynasty and was a symbol of power, which reveals that the tomb owner may have had military power during his lifetime.

Such densely distributed and well-preserved tombs from Jin and Southern Dynasties have been discovered for the first time beside the ancient Guangzhou town, and the largest tomb cluster from Six Dynasties in Zengcheng district, which shows that a large group of people had lived along Zengjiang River since Six Dynasties.

The archaeological work started in September this year and will be completed soon. The archaeological team will extract all the unearthed relics and refill the tombs later.