A human skull discovered in a 1,400-year-old tomb in China possibly belonged to a 40-year-old man of European origin, scientists say.
The skull was found in the M1401 tomb in Guyuan City in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
"The man had a protruding nasal bone and a sunk nasion, which are typical features of Europeans," said Zhang Quanchao, professor with the Research Centre for Chinese Frontier Archaeology of Jilin University.
Zhang believes the skull belonged to a 40-year-old man of European origin, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
"If we can find his teeth and more bones, we will have a more precise judgement about his age," he said.
The tomb was first found in the 1980s. Illegal excavation was reported this year, and archaeologists began to unearth the tomb in June for protection, the report said.
According to Zhu Cunshi, head of the archaeological team, more than 40 clay figures, copper coins and a number of murals were found in the tomb.
The tomb was built in the early Tang Dynasty (618-907), Zhu said.
