Several farmers in east China's Jiangxi Province recently found a pottery jar full of Han Dynasty (BC206--AD220) coins while digging a pit on a hill near their village.

The farmers from the Wanli Village, Anyuan county, later handed over the coins to the county museum, where archaeologists removed the rust and sorted out the 10,310 bronze coins.

The archaeologists described the coins as well-designed and finely minted, with the Chinese characters on them still looking very clear.

Moreover, these coins are from the mintage of literally every Han Dynasty emperor after the Zhaodi emperor, ranging over a period of 350 years, hence offering a rare insight into the politics, economy and culture of the Han Dynasty, one of the most important periods in the development of the Chinese civilization.

(People's Daily 08/23/2001)