After more than a year's excavation and research in a large tomb in
northwest
China's
Shaanxi Province, Chinese archaeologists have
concluded that the tomb belonged to the grandmother of Qinshihuang,
the country's first emperor.
Zhang Tian'en, an expert with the Shaanxi Provincial Archaeology
Institute, told Xinhua on Saturday that the tomb was
chronologically the closest to the mysterious mausoleum of
Qinshihuang, and was probably built on the emperor's orders.
"We are hoping that the excavation of his grandmother's tomb
will help unravel the mystery about the first emperor's mausoleum,
which still cannot be excavated. It will also contribute to
research into Qin Dynasty burial culture," Zhang said.
The tomb, located in the southern outskirts of Xi'an, provincial
capital of Shaanxi, is the second largest ancient tomb excavated in
China. Only the tomb of King Jinggong of the State of Qin (897-221
BC) is bigger, said Zhang.
Located under the new campus of the Xi'an Business College, the
tomb is about 30 kilometers southwest of Qinshihuang's famous
mausoleum. Qinshihuang united seven warring states and founded the
Qin Dynasty in 221 BC.
550 meters long and 310 meters wide, the tomb covers an area of
17.3 hectares.
Archaeologists unearthed two carriages designed to be driven by
six horses, which could only be used by kings and queens in the
State of Qin.
The seals of court officials responsible for running errands on
behalf of queens, queen mothers and princes, have also been found,
said Wang Hui, an expert with Shaanxi Normal University.
After further examination on the unearthed articles and
comparisons with Qin mausoleums, the archaeologists concluded that
the tomb belonged to Qinshihuang's grandmother, Queen Mother
Xia.
According to Ding Yan, an associate researcher with the Shaanxi
Research Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the main
tomb for the Queen Mother is 140 meters long, 113 meters wide and
15 meters deep, with the tomb chamber covering an area of more than
100 square meters.
Ding said that since the tomb was raided and burned several
times, only fragments of Qin coins, grey clay vases and red clay
boilers have been unearthed, as well as shards of decorative and
ritual jade objects, broken pottery and pieces of bronze.
Sadly, Qingshihuang's grandmother's inner and outer coffins were
also burned, Ding added.
The tomb is still under excavation.
Zhang Tian'en said that the Queen Mother lived until Qinshihuang
was 20 years of age and in the seventh year of his reign. The royal
lady is believed to have exerted considerable influence on the
politics of the later years of the State of Qin and on Qinshihuang
in particular.
China's survey of the 2,200-year-old Qinshihuang mausoleum has
lasted nearly 40 years. What has been discovered is believed to be
just the tip of the iceberg.
The site remains a mystery even if the terra cotta warrior
underground army has long been unearthed and hailed as the world's
eighth wonder.
"The best choice is to leave the ancient tomb untouched because,
given the complicated conditions inside, excavation errors could
lead to its destruction," said Duan Qingbo, a top archaeologist
with the Shaanxi Provincial Archaeology Institute.
"Current techniques cannot ensure that the mausoleum will be
properly protected after excavation."
According to historical records, some 720,000 workers labored 38
years to build the mausoleum for the emperor, who ruled the Qin
Dynasty, China's first unified dynasty, from 221-206 BC.
Archaeologists, using remote sensing equipment, have located
symmetrical staircases leading down into the tomb and wooden
structures inside the tomb.
They have also discovered that the tomb was built with an
effective drainage system that has prevented ground water from
seeping inside, according to Duan.
Legends maintain that a huge underground palace was modeled on
the emperor's realm with rivers flowing with mercury and the
ceiling studded with pearls and diamonds representing the stars and
sun.
"Our survey shows that the mercury density in Qinshihuang's
cemetery area is vastly higher than that in the surrounding area,
and confirms that the mercury comes from the mausoleum," Duan
said.
The mausoleum was also said to have architectural designs that
archaeologists believe have successfully kept out tomb robbers.
(Xinhua News Agency July 30, 2006)