Beijing, Sep 11 (IANS): A court in China's Shaanxi province has upheld a 15-year jail sentence awarded to a farmer who robbed an ancient tomb and attempted to sell the relics, authorities said on Friday.

The Shaanxi Provincial Higher People's Court dismissed an appeal from the farmer, surnamed Zhao, who retrieved eight pieces of bronze ware from a tomb believed to be from the late Shang Dynasty (1600 BC-1100 BC) to the beginning of early Zhou Dynasty(1100 BC- 221 BC) along with his brother, Xinhua news agency reported.

Zhao's brother is still at large.

Zhao, 52, and his brother found the ancient tomb in July 2014 when they were digging at the root of a tree in his brother's yard in Chang'an district. They dug out the bronze ware and tried to sell it.

Zhao was arrested on August 6, 2014 and was sentenced to 15 years in jail by the Intermediate People's Court in Xi'an in April 2015.

Xi'an, famous for the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses, was the capital for 13 dynasties. The city boasts lots of underground cultural relics.