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Jade burial suit: 2,000-year-old 'immortality' armor worn by Chinese royalty

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Name: Jade burial suit

What it is: A type of ceremonial suit constructed of jade pieces and worn by royal members of China's Han dynasty (ruled from 206 B.C. to A.D. 220), as well as later rulers and elites, when they were buried.

Where it is from: China

When it was made: Approximately 2,000 years ago

Related: Babylonian Map of the World: The oldest known map of the ancient world

What it tells us about the past: Each burial suit was made using thousands of uniquely shaped pieces of jade, which artisans stitched together using gold thread. The masterfully crafted suits were "built as armor" to protect the deceased in the afterlife and to "prevent mortal decay," according to UNESCO. It appears ancient Han royalty also believed the suits protected the soul.

"The ensemble of jades protected the body and the soul in their entirety, enabling the deceased to attain immortality," according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

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