A strange white liquid suddenly leaked from a crack inside the coffin, prompting experts to urgently alert and evacuate everyone from the tomb.
A 1,000-Year-Old Tomb on a Cliff
In June 1985, while mining in the mountains of Tongliao City, located in the eastern part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, workers unexpectedly unearthed a stone wall.
Initially, they thought it was just a large underground rock and paid little attention to it, but as they dug deeper, the workers discovered the stones were arranged in a very orderly manner with clear signs of carvings.
Noticing signs of burial, the stoneworkers quickly informed the Inner Mongolia Archaeological Institute. After sending a team of archaeologists to investigate, the Institute confirmed that the workers had uncovered the entrance to an ancient tomb over 1,000 years old, dating back to the Liao Dynasty.
According to Baike, this tomb is quite complex, featuring a stone burial system with corridors, burial chambers, and compartments on either side, with a total length of 16.4 meters. Based on this intricate design, archaeologists assert that this is likely a royal tomb.
Diagram of the ancient tomb in the mountains. (Photo: Sohu).
The archaeological team was astonished to discover stairs built into the steep cliffs of Tu’erjishan Mountain, leading down to a spacious burial chamber. This site contained a large quantity of valuable burial goods including gold and silver items, lacquerware, pearls, agate, crystal, amber, and fine silk.
Unusual Discovery
Alongside the coffin, the tomb also contained 200 artifacts, all precious burial items like crystal cups, silver-plated saddles, gold hair ornaments, gold bells, and crystal-handled daggers, all remarkably well-preserved.
The most captivating artifact in the tomb is a blood-red cypress wood coffin, intricately carved with phoenix patterns and exceptionally well-preserved. The wooden base of the coffin is also painted in vivid colors.
Two bodies wearing golden masks found in the tomb. (Photo: Sohu).
However, due to being buried in moist alluvium for an extended period, most of the colors on the coffin’s base had faded.
The archaeological team had to work collaboratively to open the extremely heavy lid of the wooden coffin, and when it was slightly ajar, two bodies adorned with strange golden masks gradually became visible. These bodies were relatively well-preserved and wrapped in multiple layers of silk.
To protect the dignity of the deceased, experts did not remove the golden masks immediately. They decided to use the most advanced technology available at the time to scan the bodies to gather more information about the tomb’s occupants.
As the archaeological team prepared to move the bodies to the research facility, a strange white liquid suddenly leaked from a crack inside the coffin and began to flow out in increasing amounts.
Upon witnessing this, experts hurriedly shouted and evacuated everyone present in the tomb. They managed to escape just in time because all experts knew that the Khitan people had a custom of pouring mercury over the deceased to preserve their bodies. Mercury is highly toxic.
The large amount of mercury soaked in the coffin explained why these thousand-year-old corpses had not decomposed. However, individuals who unfortunately inhaled significant amounts of mercury in the air could suffer poisoning, convulsions, or even death on the spot, necessitating the immediate evacuation of the archaeological team from the area.
Ultimately, they decided to transfer the remains to a museum for cleaning and DNA testing. The results of the DNA tests surprised scholars greatly.
Identity of the Tomb Owner
Not only did they find a beautifully carved wooden coffin along with many valuable burial goods, but the archaeologists also discovered a stele characteristic of royal burial sites.
Through the stele and documents from Liao History, the official chronicle of the Liao Dynasty (which existed from 907 to 1125), archaeologists identified this as the tomb of Princess Chen Guo of the Khitan Dynasty, the sister of Liao Taizu.
The princess and prince’s attire displayed at the Tongliao City Museum. (Photo: Sohu).
The princess passed away at the young age of 18 and was buried alongside her husband, who was also her uncle (due to the royal tradition of close kinship marriage). Historical records do not specify the reason for the princess and prince’s deaths, only noting that they died of illness.
Liao History also states that Princess Chen Guo was a person of great virtue, beloved by both the emperor and the people, thus awarded a grand tomb.
Golden mask of Princess Chen Guo. (Photo: Sohu).
During the burial, both the princess and her husband were adorned with golden masks, intricately carved to reflect the features of the deceased.
Thus, wearing masks for the deceased is a special custom of the Khitan people, and this golden mask serves to preserve their dignified expressions even as facial features have decomposed.
According to Sohu, the golden mask and burial goods found in Princess Chen Guo’s tomb are the first intact artifacts recovered from the Liao Dynasty. The items discovered have become historical treasures, helping to fill gaps in knowledge about a once-forgotten powerful dynasty.
Unique Treasures in a 1,000-Year-Old Tomb
According to experts, a total of 3,227 valuable burial items were excavated from Princess Chen Guo’s tomb.
The crystal cup found in the tomb of the Liao Dynasty princess.
Among these was a glass cup attached to a gold chain. Initially, archaeologists were both puzzled and excited as they did not expect a modern glass cup to appear in a thousand-year-old tomb. Some even speculated that it was an object left behind by grave robbers.
However, after thorough examination, the tomb showed no signs of being robbed, and it turned out that this cup was made of crystal. The cup in Princess Chen Guo’s tomb is considered a version of the Warring States crystal cup (excavated in 1990).
The Warring States crystal cup found in 1990.
This crystal cup is exquisitely crafted, with two small holes at the rim for attaching the gold chain. What astonished experts even more is that this treasure remains nearly intact after almost 1,000 years in the ancient tomb.
Crafting objects from crystal is not a simple task. Yet, this cup was made with specifications similar to modern cups and glasses. Clearly, the production technology for crafting crystal items in the Liao Dynasty had reached a high level, showcasing the intelligence and creativity of that era’s people.
This valuable crystal cup has been recognized as a national treasure and is currently displayed at the Inner Mongolia Museum.
Although experts have yet to determine how the ancients created this crystal cup, its discovery alongside the valuable artifacts in Princess Chen Guo’s tomb holds immense archaeological significance and is crucial for studying the history of the Liao Dynasty.
The Liao crystal cup has been recognized as a national treasure shortly after excavation. “The crystal cup with a gold chain” is now preserved and displayed at the Inner Mongolia Museum (China). After seeing this treasure in the museum, many people are likely to believe that “time travel” is indeed real.
