Chinese archaeologists have recently unearthed a short bronze sword in one of the seven newly-discovered pits of chariots and horses in the famous ruins of Yin, in Anyang city of central China's Henan Province. The double-edged sword is about 30 to 35 centimeters long, and its handle, body and ridge are all clear and easy to be identified.
     Seven pits of chariots and horses as well as three medium-sized tombs were discovered in a recent excavation at the western edge of the Yin Ruins in Anyang, which was the capital of the late Shang Dynasty (c. 1300-1050 BCE), some 500 km south of the national capital Beijing. Five of the seven newly-discovered pits remained basically intact and they are arranged in a line, with chariots and horses facing eastward. Archaeologists also unearthed 30 bronze arrowheads in the same pit where the sword was found. Of the three tombs, the one coded M13 was the biggest, which archaeologists said to have been robbed of, losing many cultural relics. But they still unearthed a dozen bronze daggers, a musical stone and over 20 bronze arrowheads from the tomb.
     Covering 30 square kilometers, the Yin Ruins was first discovered by a Chinese archaeologist in 1899. Yin was an ancient name for the Shang Dynasty.

Sources: Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily Online  (4 May 2005)