Newly-found tomb mural depicts ancient Chinese medication

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Newly-found tomb mural depicts ancient Chinese medication

Xinhua News Agency [China], 2009-04-15

A mural unearthed from an ancient tomb in the northwestern Chinese

province of Shaanxi last week depicted how traditional Chinese

medication was practiced 1,000 years ago, archaeologists said Wednesday.

Song Dynasty murals are not rare in and around the ancient Chinese

capital Xi'an, but researcher Sun Bingjun at Shaanxi Provincial

Institute of Archaeology said this was the first found to depict

traditional Chinese medication, prevalent in China for nearly 5,000

years. The mural, about four meters square, had a man sitting on a

chair, whom experts believed was the tomb owner. " Jars and bottles were

seen on a table nearby, " said Sun. Two other men were sitting at the

table, one of whom was carrying two bags of herbs and the other

consulting a huge collection of herbal formulas. " The names of the herbs

were still seen on the bags and the papers, " said Sun. " We assume the

master of the house was sick and two physicians were making

prescriptions. "

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-04/15/content_11189837.htm