Pictured is a golden camel found during the latest round of excavation in the Mausoleum of the Emperor Qinshihuang, media reported on Monday. It is believed to be the most ancient single body golden camel that has ever been seen in the country, which indicates early exchange between China and the West. Photo: China News Service

 An ancient silver camel was unearthed recently from the No.1 Pit of the Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang, following the discovery of a golden camel during the excavation in December, 2019, according to a report by China Social Sciences Network Tuesday.

The Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987. While No.1 Pit is the largest among the three pits surrounding the tomb of the nation's first emperor in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, the majority of the pit has not yet been excavated. New archaeological discoveries continue to be made.

"The gold camel is a highlight among the discoveries, as it was only found in West Asia in ancient times, and it is not something that belongs to Central Plains of China. So the discovery of the gold camel indicates early exchanges between China and West Asia back in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-206 BC)," Jiang Wenxiao, a researcher with the museum, said in an interview with China Central Television at the site of the excavation in December 2019.

The golden camel is the earliest-known single body golden camel in the country.

In the report by China Social Sciences Network Tuesday, Jiang said, "The silver camel is adhered to a piece of bronzeware. It hasn't been fully separated from it yet. So its size and weight remain unclear." 

The researcher further noted that both the golden camel and silver camel are the earliest camel figures in the tomb. The discoveries could possibly move the history of frequent exchanges along the ancient Silk Road from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) back to the Qin Dynasty. 

Global Times