CHENGDU, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists said Thursday they have discovered a millennium-old "money tree" in a tomb in southwest China's Sichuan Province, though its main body had been stolen.

The tree-shaped sculpture decorated with bronze coins found in a tomb of a noble family dates back to the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), said the team from the Chengdu Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute that unearthed the tomb.

Tang Bin, head of the team, said they found items including earthenware and iron swords in the tomb in Chengdu, Sichuan's capital city. An earthen pedestal and a stack of bronze coins were all that were left of the money tree, whose main body had been stolen together with the remains of the tomb owners.

Money trees were a popular burial item during the Eastern Han Dynasty, according to archaeologists.

"The discovery provides valuable material for the study of Eastern Han tombs as well as the funeral rituals and customs of the period," Tang said.