Recently, a ancient tomb was found hidden under bushes in a parking lot in Nara Prefecture, Japan. What initially appeared to be harmless vegetation turned out to be a historic find.
The archaeological excavation resulted in the discovery of a variety of precious artifacts that had been buried beneath cement for several centuries.
see more
The grandeur of the largest national parks on the planet, which are…
THESE are the 4 hottest peppers in the world
Treasures stored beneath the ground
Tomb found in parking lot. (Image: Ikaruga Municipal Education Council/Reproduction)
Among the items unearthed, two iron swords, arrowheads, objects related to horse riding, amber jewelry and clay vessels, all offering invaluable insight into the culture of the time.
Experts from Nara University and the Ikaruga Municipal Board of Education conducted the research, revealing that the burial chamber of stone dates back to the end of the 6th century.
The artifact in question is surprising for its size, measuring approximately 3.8 meters long, 1.6 meters wide and 1 meter high.
The location is close to the Horyu-ji temple, recognized as a World Heritage Site. Archaeologists have been actively involved in excavating the site since 2022.
An intriguing detail about the tomb is the absence of a roof, leading to speculation that the stones that composed could have been reused in the construction of the Horyu-ji temple and the Ikaruga palace at the beginning of the 7th century.
Possible owners of the tomb
Naohiro Toyoshima, professor of archeology at Nara University and member of the research team, shared his theory:
“It is possible that the roof stones were removed to be used in the construction of Horyu-ji Temple and Ikaruga Palace, where Prince Shotoku lived with his family. At that time, the stone chamber could have been buried along with all these items.”
Intriguingly, the location in question did not initially attract attention. It was about 8.5 meters in diameter and 1.5 meters high and was covered by bushes.
However, experts from the education board already suspected that such a place hid an ancient tomb, referring to it as the Funazuka kofun tomb. The suspicions were finally confirmed when excavation began.
