YANGON, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Recent excavations have found more evidences on both Bronze Age and Iron Age in Thazi township, central Mandalay division, Myanmar, proving that the country passed through both Bronze Age and Iron Age in the ancient time.

    The Archaeology, Natural Museum and Libraries Department under the Ministry of Culture, in cooperation with the CNRC of France, excavated the areas around Ywagongyi village in the township for 20 days from Jan. 10 to 30, finding out the site where 44 bodies were buried along with two small bundles of bronze sheets, two iron objects, 14 stone beads of different colors, a fine stone weapon, two small earth-baked objects deemed to be round shuttles, and different earthen objects, sources with the Ministry of Culture said on Monday.

    Of the fossilized bodies, two are complete sets and 20 fossils are assumed to be at middle age, 10 at early age, one at infant age and one shows over 40, the pelvis of which was badly damaged.

    "The iron objects are excavated the same as that of Bronze Age and Iron Age found in Pyawbwe and Thazi townships. The two earth-baked objects are also called earth-baked beads which were excavated in large numbers especially in city states", the sources said, adding that five of the bodies are thought to be buried inside coffins of Bronze Age and Iron Age, which were found in Pyawbwe and Yamethin townships.

    According to the archaeologists, the findings indicate the existence of the late Stone Age and Iron Age in the area and they do not reveal literature, writing and religious evidences.

    In June 2008, ancient artifacts on Bronze Age and Iron Age were also excavated in Kanthitgon village in the same Thazi township, proving the same transition of ages.

    Foreign archaeologists once considered that in the early history, Myanmar was transferred from Stone Age into the Iron Age without flourishing of Bronze culture.

    The thesis was proved wrong when many artifacts were excavated later in such regions as Nyaungkan, Myin-U Hle, Hnawkan and Kukkokha that provided evidences of bronze culture in the country which was further supported by the artifacts found in Kanthitgon village.

    The 2008 archaeological research was carried out in eight different places simultaneously and among the ancient objects found in Kanthitgon village were nine complete bodies along with some incomplete sets of bodies of all ages, child, middle age and old age. The bodies were buried together with bronze and iron weapons, it said.

    The artifacts of the Bronze Age found in the village also included bronze arrow heads, spears, wire bundles, cups, floral works, stone beads, bone beads, different sizes of pots and plates and iron spears, earlier official reports said.