"The passive tense is appropriate: artifacts were found. Chinese archeologists distinguish between two types of excavation: zhudong and beidong, "active" and "passive." An active excavation is deliberate, planned, and relatively rare. Throughout the past century, it's been far more common for important discoveries to occur purely by chance. A construction project stumbles upon an ancient city; a peasant digs clay and accidentally uncovers a forgotten tomb. It's essentially Taoist: the effectiveness of non-action. You're most likely to find treasures when you're not searching for them."
http://newyorker.com/talk/content/?041129ta_talk_hessler
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