An Emperor's Devotion to His Grandmother

Royal grandmother's tomb unearthed Sep 7, 2007, 12:00 GMT Chinese archaeologists have concluded a large unearthed tomb belonged to the grandmother of the country's first emperor. Zhang Tian'en, an expert with the Shaanxi Provincial Archaeology Institute, claims the tomb in the Shaanxi Province was probably built on Emperor Qinshihuang's orders. He said: "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." Qinshihuang united seven warring states and founded the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC. Zhang Tian'en said Qinshihuang's grandmother lived until the emperor was 20, and died in the seventh year of his reign. The tomb, which took over a year of excavation to uncover, is the second largest ancient Chinese tomb unearthed after King Jinggong's - who was head of the State of Quin, which ruled for more than 120 years before the Qin Dynasty. The emperor's grandmother's tomb is 550 meters long and 310 meters wide, covering an area of 17.3 hectares. Archaeologists unearthed two carriages designed to be driven by six horses, which could only be used by the Qin Dynasty's kings and queens. Experts also found the seals of court officials responsible for running errands on behalf of queens, queen mothers and princes. The emperor's mausoleum - a huge underground palace inside the monarch's burial place - is currently being left untouched for fear that it could not be properly preserved should it be excavated. It is thought to be considerably bigger than any yet uncovered. (C) BANG Media International