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| Two archaeologists clean a bronze vessel unearthed from the excavation site of royal tombs of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24) in Nanchang, Jiangxi province [Credit: Guo Jing/China Daily] |
Mention of the emperor is found in Book of Han compiled in the first century AD, and more details have started to emerge as archaeologists investigate the main coffin found in a tomb.
Marquis Haihun was the title given to Liu He (92 BC-59 BC) after he was dethroned.
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| Archaeologists clear the upper layer of the main coffin [Credit: Guo Jing/China Daily] |
Nevertheless, he was allowed to reside near Boyang Lake and the title of marquis remained with the family for three generations.
Though archaeologists are still not sure if the tomb they discovered belongs to Liu, and will release final conclusions at a news conference on Christmas Day, one discovery makes it likely that the tomb is his.
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| A jade seal with Liu's surname inscribed [Credit: Guo Jing/China Daily] |
The graveyard, where the tomb was found, covers 40,000 square meters.
Approximately 10,000 cultural relics, including gold, bronze, and jade artifacts were unearthed in the area. Of these, more than 6,000 were found in the coffin chamber.
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| A jade seal with Liu's surname inscribed [Credit: Guo Jing/China Daily] |
"The find reflects a trend of showing off wealth," says Wang Zijin, a history professor from Renmin University of China focusing on Han Dynasty.
"It could also be a reflection of a prosperous economy in the area at the time."
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| Hoof-shaped ingots are found at the tomb site [Credit: Guo Jing/China Daily] |
Meanwhile, one thing that has got members of the public interested is the find of 10 ding－bronze caldrons symbolizing high social status.
The cauldrons indicate that the tomb belonged to a person who was of higher social status than a regular noble.
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| An unearthed bronze figurine of an animal [Credit: Guo Jing/China Daily] |
The vessels are thus the oldest artifacts found with characters using the city's current name.
Nearly 3,000 pieces of well-preserved bamboo slips, which were used to keep records were discovered.
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| Bronze lamps resembling wild geese with fish unearthed from the excavation site [Credit: Wang Xiang/Xinhua] |
The discovery of such a large quantity of well-preserved artifacts will also probably give a new impetus to the handicraft industry.
Xu Changqing, director of Jiangxi Provincial Archaeological Research Institution, says: "The large amount of gilded ware, lacquer ware, bronze vessels decorated with gold and silver, and musical instruments shows us the superb craftsmanship and techniques in the Western Han Dynasty."
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| A jade pendant unearthed from the tomb [Credit: Guo Jing/China Daily] |
The discovery of the remains of the caterpillar fungus could also change people's understanding of medicine in those times.
And ancient China's food culture is also under the spotlight based on some of the cooking vessels that were found.
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| Archaeologists examine an artefact from the tomb [Credit: Guo Jing/China Daily] |
Wang also says: "The quality of the artifacts can also be a crucial criterion in judging the prosperity of a society."
The archaeological excavation of this site began following a tomb-robbery case in 2011.
One of the retrieved gold articles following that robbery indicated that the tomb under attack belonged to a top official, possibly an emperor.
As Wang says: "If local villagers had not reported the matter in time and archaeologists had not worked hard, the cultural relics would have been scattered and relevant academic research would have been hampered due to a lack of information."
Source: China Daily [December 22, 2015]