 The Tibetan Plateau
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June 23, 2003 — A cache of relics that will go some way to explaining ancient Tibetan existence have been unearthed, Chinese state press reported Monday.
The haul of 37 groups of relics was found by archeologists along the high-altitude Qinghai-Tibet railway, the Xinhua news agency said.
They include stoneware, tombs and military watchx29s, said Huo Wei, director of the Tibet Studies Institute of Sichuan University.
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A large-scale sacrificial relics site excavated in Nagqu County was the first finding of its kind in Tibet and stoneware found in Damxung County was the largest ever uncovered.
"These findings would help explain ancient Tibetan existence," said Zhang Jianlin, a researcher with the Shaanxi Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archeology.
He pointed to stoneware for hunting and farming discovered for the first time at an altitude of 4,900 meters (16,170 feet), indicating ancient Tibetans might have lived at altitudes of around 5,000 meters (16,500 feet).
Sacrificial relics also revealed more about Tibetan religion.
According to historical records, before Buddhism entered the area Tibetans worshipped natural spirits like sacred stones, lakes, megaliths and woods.
Archeologists found a megalith circle with a diameter of 3.7 meters (12.2 feet) near a lake in Amdo County, which is believed to have been used for lake worship.
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