burial mound
Photo of a screenshot from the Nara Town Hall video
Buried under the clay soil, two metal shapes accompanied a wooden coffin: one long and skinny, colored orange with rust, the other short and blunt, tinged whitish-tan with age.
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Archaeologists in Nara City, Japan, were excavating a 1,700-year-old burial mound, according to a news release from Nara City Hall on Wednesday, Jan. 25. The site, known as the Tomio Maruyama burial mound, is the largest circular burial mound, measuring almost 360 feet across.
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The structure is asymmetrical, partially collapsed on one side, and composed of three tiers, officials said. While excavating an upper portion of the mound, archaeologists found a grave pit dug into the mound from the side, a seemingly unplanned addition to the mound.
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Inside the tomb, researchers found a wooden coffin made of a Japanese pine tree, according to the release. Nestled alongside, they uncovered a shield-shaped copper mirror.
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About 2.5 feet long, the mirror had intricate carved patterns and a knob in the center. Photos shared by the Nara City Board of Education Cultural Property Division on Jan. 27 show the artifact.
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Nearby, archaeologists unearthed another metallic object: an iron sword. The sword was almost 9 feet long and had a meandering blade, officials said. Meandering blades are not entirely straight but designed to be slightly wavelike, photos from education officials show.
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The weapon is the longest iron sword and the oldest meandering sword ever found in Japan, city officials said.
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Excavations also uncovered numerous cups and a portion of the mound believed to be used as a ritual space, researchers said in the release. The remains of clay drain structures indicated the ritual space might have been fed by a spring.
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Two other tombs were identified at the mound. One tomb had a stone chamber dating back to the sixth century. The age of the other tomb remains unknown.
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The most recent excavations of the Tomio Maruyama burial mound began in October and are ongoing, city officials said in the release.
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Nara City is about 300 miles southwest of Tokyo and about 20 miles east of Osaka.
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Google Translate was used to translate the news release from Nara City Hall and Nara City Board of Education Cultural Property Division.
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Aspen Pflughoeft covers real-time news for McClatchy. She graduated from Minerva University where she studied communications, history and international politics. Previously, she reported for Deseret News.
