2,600 Years Ago, Some Nobles Deliberately Dismantled Their 21 Funeral Bells: Their Worst Enemy Had Become Family

Researchers say a 2,600-year-old noble tomb in Suizhou, China contains deliberate disorder, not signs of looting.

Twenty-one bronze funeral bells were dismantled and scattered as a ritual act, while a second set of 13 bells remained intact.

The evidence suggests Lord Qiu of Zeng ordered the bells deactivated after an alliance with Chu made their original political purpose obsolete.

The find shows how elite burial objects in ancient China could reflect changing ritual and political ties between rival states and the dead.