3,500-year-old bone ice skates found in China
Beijing, Feb 27 (EFE).- Chinese archaeologists have found 3,500-year-old ice skates made of animal bones from the western Xinjiang region.
The skates, made from cattle and horse bones, were found inside a tomb in the Ili River Valley, the Global Times reported.
Experts say they were yet to find why Xinjiang people skated on ice.
The discovery is similar to bone skates found in Europe, indicating that there could have been a link between China and Europe across the Eurasia continent during the Bronze Age era.
The excavators have also found traces of 40 wooden pieces of wagons, including solid wood wheels, shafts, axles, and carriages.
The items were scattered around the tomb site at the Bronze Age Gaotai Ruins in Nilka county, indicating that the tombs belonged to a noble herding family,
“We believe that these wooden wagon parts were deserted by their owners, detached on purpose, and buried,” said Ruan Qiurong, the head of the team.
The Gaotai Ruins is a 120-square-meter stone-made tomb complex.
It has a living area located 1,000 meters away from the tomb. EFE
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