Chinese archaeologists have discovered a Neolithic stone burial site by the side of a river on the border between China and Russia.
The Xiaonanshan ruins in Raohe County, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, are located on the Chinese side of the Wusuli River, known as Ussuri in Russia, Xinhua reported.
Archeologists have excavated more than 20 tombs and unearthed a trove of cultural relics including jade, stoneware and pottery, dating back around 9,000 years, according to the provincial institute of archaeology.
The institute's representative Li Youqian said the tombs are built with malmstone and basalt. He said that basalt cannot be found in the surrounding area, which means that ancient people transported the stone from other areas. The tomb chambers have very small space, some less than one meter long and archeologists believe that the bodies were placed in the tomb on one side with limbs flexed.
Li said the tombs also suggested a gap between the rich and poor in burial practices, as some tombs have large amounts of burial artifacts while others have none.
Further study will be required to identify the burial customs and living behaviors of the ancient community, he added.
