Tomb of Zenghouyi

The set unearthed at the tomb of Zenghouyi, however, had as many as 32 pieces (in addition, there were nine spare pieces). Each piece was engraved with the name of the tone it sounded. The additional pieces were used as needed to sound tones lacking in the main set.

…excavated in 1978 from the tomb of Zenghouyi (Marquis Yi of Zeng) in Hubei province. Dated about 433 bc, the bells were mounted on an L-shaped frame in three tiers. The largest bell weighs 447 pounds. The instrument’s total range is five octaves in a key close to the key…