Beijing, Feb 5 (IANS): Archaeologists have discovered a cave burial site in China's Xinjiang region.
Three cave tombs were found in high cliffs in the Tashkurgan county after a region-wide heritage survey in 2014, Xinhua quoted an archaeologist as saying Thursday.
Besides human bones, infant corpses were found sealed inside wall niches and covered by rocks or earth.
The archaeologist said such a custom was rare in China, but local Tashkurgans did bury stillborn babies in this way until a few decades ago.
A cluster of 102 tombs, 40 percent of which were made for infants, were previously unearthed in nearby Kezilesu prefecture in 2013.
It is believed that cave burial, which can also be found in Yunnan and Guizhou province, was practiced as far back as 4,000 years ago.