Throughout history, the world of tomb raiders has often shared the belief that when the door of an ancient tomb is opened, one must wait a moment before entering to avoid traps or toxic gases; otherwise, serious injuries or even death could occur. However, in a tomb over 2,000 years old located in Hubei, China, experts discovered something far more peculiar.
According to KK News, during the excavation of an ancient tomb from the Western Han Dynasty, dating back over 2,000 years, archaeologists found the entire structure of the tomb to be very complex. Coupled with geographical and climatic factors, the tomb was filled with water, making the excavation quite challenging.
To dry out the tomb, the experts first had to pump out the water and then carefully sift through the mud and earth.
However, during the mud sifting process, the experts were startled to see something moving. Although taken by surprise, curiosity drove them to quickly remove the mud to uncover the contents of the ancient tomb. They were all astonished to discover a gigantic, very old turtle emerging from the tomb. This marked the first time this group of experts had unearthed a living creature from a tomb over 2,000 years old.
Today, many people enjoy keeping a small turtle as a pet due to their gentle nature, quiet demeanor, and ease of care. In Chinese culture, turtles are believed to be associated with longevity and are considered auspicious, which makes the trend of keeping turtles as pets quite popular.
Historically, many Chinese have kept turtles as pets. So, could it be that the ancient tomb’s owner was buried alongside their beloved turtle?
Giant turtle discovered in an ancient tomb in Hubei. (Image source: KK News).
In fact, this is not without precedent. Historical documents indicate that in ancient times, the Chinese used turtle shells for divination, leading to the belief that turtles were sacred creatures capable of traversing the realms of the living and the dead. Some ancient tombs also record the practice of burying turtles alongside the deceased in ancient China. It was common to inter a small turtle beneath the coffin, with the belief that the deceased could “ride” the turtle in the afterlife.
Thinking of this, some may shiver. If the giant turtle was indeed buried with the tomb’s owner, it could have lived for a thousand years, considering the tomb has existed for over 2,000 years. However, experts noted that the tomb was quite sealed and appeared to have never been disturbed, making the likelihood of the turtle surviving for thousands of years inside the tomb extremely low.
Nonetheless, the ancient giant turtle was clearly still alive within the tomb. The contradiction between theory and reality prompted experts to rush to uncover the mystery.
Ultimately, a small detail that had gone unnoticed initially became the key to solving the puzzle. It turned out that this ancient tomb had been previously visited by tomb raiders. Evidence indicated that several artifacts that should have been inside the tomb were missing, although archaeologists found many other valuable relics. Therefore, experts theorized that the turtle had inadvertently entered the tomb and miraculously survived the tomb raiders’ visit.
According to KK News, this phenomenon is not isolated to the tomb in Hubei; in fact, there have been several instances of live turtles being discovered in other ancient tombs.
For example, during the discovery of four ancient tombs at an infrastructure construction site for a power station in Beijing, a live turtle weighing 3 kg emerged during excavation, astonishing many onlookers. Initially, some believed the turtle had been buried with the tomb’s owner, estimating it to be over a thousand years old. However, it turned out to be just an ordinary turtle that had accidentally entered the tomb after it had been disturbed by tomb raiders searching for artifacts.
