These tombs are the first burials with rich grave goods and intact tomb-structure that archaeologists have excavated in the Yangzhou area up to the present.The objects unearthed from the two tombs include ritual bronzes in imitation of pottery.The ding tripod,dou stemmed vessel,box and pot combination among them,the structure of the outer and inner coffins and the shape of some articles share the same style with their counterparts from Chu tombs of the late Warring States period in several areas of Hunan and Hubei.This indicates that the Guoyuan tombs are Chu graves of the late Warring States period and that the tomb-owners were officials of the “shi 士” rank.The unearthed cultural relics made up the lack of material data about the then history of the Yangzhou area.