A safe dating back two millennia was unearthed in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, Yangtze Evening News reported.

The wooden safe, which was dug out from a Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) tomb on Thursday, is 2 meters long, 1.5 meters high and 1 meter wide.

Archaeologists believed the safe was used for burial rituals.

It is the oldest safe ever unearthed on the Chinese mainland.

The find will help archaeologists further study the Han Dynasty, archaeologists said.

Archaeologists also found a one-meter long sword in the tomb the previous day, indicating the owner had attained a high military rank.