Chinese archaeologists have unearthed some 30 beheaded skeletons, dating back to more than 2,000 years, from central China's Henan Province, the cradle of Chinese civilisation.
The skeletons were obviously those of warriors and one of them was at least 1.85 metres tall, Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology head Sun Xinmin, said.
The remains were found scattered in a pit in the city of Xinzheng, adjacent to a former battlefield.
Sun and his peers are working hard to collect and preserve the findings.
The skeletons must have belonged to soldiers of State Han and their heads were most likely taken away by Qin warriors to seek promotions based on the number of enemy troops they had killed, Sun added.
Copper coins found near the skeletons also indicate that the massacre occurred sometime before 221 BC.