By PTI

By K J M Varma Beijing, Nov 6 (PTI) Three 2,000-year-old luxury baths have been discovered by archaeologists in the northwestern China's Xi'an city, the local heritage department said today.

Sites of three ancient cities, dating back to different dynasties, were discovered by a team at an archaeological site at the ancient city of Liyang, said Liu Rui, a researcher of the team.

Liyang, a former capital in the Qin and Han dynasties, is now located at Yanliang district of Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province.

Three baths and a fireplace have been excavated at one site. The baths have been built with beautiful tiles and bricks, with sewage outflows, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

"The shape, structure and size of the baths were very similar to the baths in the imperial palace of Xianyang, capital during the Qin Dynasty," Liu said. "These baths could be the earliest baths discovered in China." The 2013 excavation of ancient Liyang was conducted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Institute of Archaeology and the city's cultural relics protection and archaeology institute. PTI KJV SMJ SMJ .

This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.