A total of 95 ancient graves have been discovered on the campus of Tsinghua University, a prestigious university in Beijing.

Access to the excavation site has been restricted, with more than 20 graves clearly visible from above while most of the rest remain covered.

The tombs were found in an area where a new building for the university's Department of Civil Engineering is set to be constructed. Copper coins and other objects were found besides human remains.

The tomb cluster is small in size and simple in structure. Experts believe they belong to civilians of the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220), and the Ming  (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

"This is not the first time an ancient tomb has been discovered on the campus. Tang Dynasty tombs have been found before," said an archaeologist from the municipal cultural relics research institute.

Exact dates and the value to archaeological research will be determined by further study of the burial objects and the stratigraphic information of the tombs, experts said.

In accordance with Chinese laws and regulations, archaeological surveys need to be conducted at a construction site. The archaeological surveys in the area designated for the new construction led to the discoveries.

Excavation work, which began on May 27, has been completed on 16 graves, and archaeologists are still working on the rest.