On November 14, the Department of Cultural Relics of Hà Nam Province announced the discovery of a rare stone tomb from the State of Chu in Quách Village, Thượng Thái County
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Inside the ancient tomb (Photo: Xinhua) |
On November 14, the Department of Cultural Relics of Hà Nam Province announced that they had discovered a rare stone tomb from the State of Chu in Quách Village, Thượng Thái County. A large quantity of beautiful artifacts has been perfectly preserved, including a round bronze ding with a diameter of 80 cm, which is only slightly lighter than the ding found in the tomb of King U of Chu.
The owner of this tomb was likely a high-ranking noble sanctioned by the King of Chu or a local county official.
The Quách Village tomb is located 3 km east of the ancient city of Thượng Thái.
Ancient tombs are often targets for thieves, so after receiving approval from the National Cultural Relics Bureau, the Archaeological Research Office of Hà Nam Province conducted excavations at the site.
Historically, the State of Chu existed from the late Spring and Autumn period to the early Warring States period (*), but there is very little information about this state in ancient documents.
In this excavation, two burial tombs were arranged in a north-south direction, with the tomb platform facing east and the burial pit shaped like the Chinese character “jiǎ.” Tomb No. 1 is the main tomb located to the south; it is a large stone tomb buried 2 meters deep.
The entrance of the tomb is approximately 25 meters long from east to west, 17 meters wide from north to south, and about 18 meters deep, with special stairways at all four corners.
The upper part of the tomb is filled with about 7 meters of earth, and underneath is a layer of fine sand about 10 meters thick, making this type of tomb a rare find in China. The wooden coffin has decayed and shows signs of collapse.
The coffin measures 12 meters long, 7.4 meters wide, and about 3 meters high. The walls of the coffin are adorned with red-painted patterns on a black background and decorated with gold-covered bronze pieces and jade ornaments.
The tomb’s theft prevention design is highly effective, as it has been plundered approximately 12 times throughout history. However, only about half of the coffin has been excavated, and many valuable artifacts remain, including five round ding with lids, two mirrors featuring four dragons, two square pots, and various other bronze items.
The second tomb is located to the north and is also large, similar in shape to the first tomb, measuring 16.5 meters long from east to west, 11 meters wide from north to south, and about 11 meters deep, buried in the ground.
This tomb is likely associated with the first tomb; experts speculate it may belong to a husband and wife.
In China, burial customs have long been targets for theft, with cultural relics being excavated for generations. During this excavation, archaeologists found evidence of 12 previous thefts, the first of which dates back to the Han Dynasty, as they discovered fragments of painted bricks from that era.
Due to the effective anti-theft design, only two out of the 12 attempts reached the bottom of the coffin, as the tomb is buried 18 meters deep. Additionally, the unique shape of the tomb, with a funnel-like tunnel that is 8-10 meters wide and 30 meters long, complicates access.
Typically, steep tunnels can lead directly to the bottom of the tomb; however, this tunnel’s bottom is about 5 meters from the top of the coffin, making it difficult to descend through this route.
The principle behind the anti-theft design of stone and sand tombs, or in some cases using charcoal instead of stone, is primarily to prevent moisture, while sand serves to deter theft. When thieves dig into this area, sand continuously flows down, dragging stones weighing from several kilograms to about 150 kilograms, blocking the passage.
The identity of the tomb’s owner remains a mystery. As the tomb is located near the ancient capital of the Thái state, which established its capital here 500 years ago and has seen many generations of kings, it is speculated that this may be the tomb of a Thái king, or potentially a noble from the State of Chu or a high-ranking minister.
According to experts, the tomb is situated in the region of the Thái state during the Western Zhou period, an important vassal state later annexed by Chu and designated as a critical administrative area.
The excavation of this ancient tomb will provide important materials and evidence for the study of the culture and history of the State of Chu.
Xuết Nhung (According to CRI)
