TAIYUAN, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- A total of 19 suspects are wanted by the police in north China's Shanxi Province for robbing an ancient graveyard, local authorities said Tuesday.

The graveyard, located in Taosi Village of Xiangfen County, covers around 240,000 square meters. Accommodating around 1,280 tombs, the cluster dates back between the late Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 B.C.- 771 B.C.) and the Warring States Period (475 B.C.- 221 B.C.).

The provincial public security department said the majority of the suspects involved are under the control of the local police, while another 19 remain at large.

A large number of burial items including bronze ware, jade ware and potteries had been unearthed during previous excavations between 2014 and 2017. These cultural relics are very important for the research of ancient funeral customs.