Archeologists arrived at this conclusion after they unearthed a jade tortoise and an oblong jade article in an ancient tomb in Lingjiatan village, east China's Anhui province, Xinhua news agency reported.

"They were obviously not objects used in daily life, nor adornment, but instruments used in religious activities," said Gu Fang, an expert with the jadeware research committee under the China Society of Cultural Relics.

Researchers are basing their theory partly on mysterious diagrams appearing on the jade object which have similarities with similar signs used later in Chinese history for divination, according to the report.

Divination and fortune telling remain popular in Chinese societies, especially Taiwan and Hong Kong, which did not come under the direct influence of the Communist party's materialistic and atheist views.

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