Scattered bronze bells in Chinese lord's 2,600-year-old tomb point to ritual deactivation

Article excerpt

When archaeologists opened the 2,600-year-old tomb of an ancient Chinese lord, they discovered his magnificent bronze bells had been scattered, their wooden hangings broken. But the most mysterious part of all: This was apparently no accident, with the family of the tomb's owner having chosen to "deactivate" the bells when their powers were no longer needed.