wo pieces of gold in the form of horse hoofs were unearthed from the tomb of Haihunhou in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, on Saturday. (Photo by Wang Xiang/Xinhua)

The finding of the Confucius portrait in the marquis' tomb indicates Confucius' teachings were prevalent among the ruling class in the Western Han Dynasty, Zhang said.

"This is the earliest portrait of the ancient sage discovered so far," said Xin Lixiang, head of the excavation team and one of China's most authoritative archaeologists for the Qin and Han dynasties.

Before the new finding was reported, experts believed the oldest Confucius portrait was on a mural found in a tomb chamber in Dongping county in East China's Shandong province. The mural dates back to the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220).