The Brutality of Feudal Society Exposed Alongside the Secrets of an Ancient Tomb
In the ancient book “Mo Tzu”, it is detailed how different social classes had varying demands for the number of sacrificial offerings. Nobles, for instance, would require living individuals to be buried with them after death. For example, after an emperor’s death, several concubines and attendants needed to be buried alongside him, sometimes amounting to hundreds of people.
Additionally, there was a unique burial practice stemming from this belief: when a young person died before marrying, their family would specifically seek out a woman of similar age to arrange a marriage in the ‘underworld.’
In 2003, an archaeological team was restoring the residence of the famous ancient calligrapher Wang Xizhi when they unexpectedly discovered an ancient tomb. Upon the archaeologists’ first visit to the site, they meticulously explored the area around the tomb and found no signs of grave robbing, indicating that the tomb remained intact.
Inside the tomb were two very small coffins, belonging to two children, one just one year old and the other two years old. In another part of the tomb, archaeologists also found the remains of a 5-year-old bride. The discovery of these three young children’s remains shocked the experts: Why were such young children found in an ancient tomb? Why had a 5-year-old girl already been designated as a bride?
5-year-old bride buried with the deceased.
According to records in the Book of Jin (one of the 24 historical texts of China, compiled by Fang Xuanling and Li Yian in the year 648 under the order of Emperor Taizong of Tang), although Sima Yue loved his son Sima Huan dearly, Sima Huan had been suffering from chronic illness since birth.
Desiring his son to recover quickly, Sima Yue decided to bestow a princely title upon Sima Huan. What he did not expect was that on the very day of the title conferral, Sima Huan’s condition worsened, and he passed away. Shortly thereafter, Sima Huan’s young nephew, Sima An Guo, also died prematurely.
For Sima Yue, the death of his son Sima Huan was a devastating blow. He conducted a minghun ceremony (marriage with the deceased) and subsequently buried the young bride alive, so that his son could live happily in the afterlife. The bride in this minghun was the 5-year-old girl discovered by modern archaeologists. In ancient society, when a husband died, the wife would be buried alongside him. However, since Sima Huan died at such a young age, his father sought a 5-year-old girl to entomb with his son.
This revelation exposes the brutality of feudal society: A young girl, merely due to an emperor’s decree, became a burial object and remained eternally in that tomb.
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