Archaeologists find 131 'hanging' coffins in China

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last updated 15 December 2015

About halfway up a 100-meter-tall cliff, archaeologists have discovered an impressive, if baffling, burial site in China's Hubei province, nearby the Three Gorges Dam. A total of 131 wooden coffins were found nestled inside rectangular holes carved into the cliffside, though archaeologists say they are unsure how the coffins could have been lifted that high. A report from Chinese media says the coffins are believed to belong to the ancient ethnic minority Bo people, who inhabited southern China during the Tang dynasty (618-907 A.D.).

This is not the first time archaeologists have discovered this type of burial. Other "hanging" coffins have been found in various provinces in southern China. South China Morning Post reports that the burial custom is believed to have been "carried out to prevent the dead bodies from being eaten by wild animals and was also believed to be a way for the soul of the deceased to gain an eternal blessing."

It remains unclear who, exactly, found the burial site, or when.