Tomb of Emperor Qin Huang's Grandmother Discovered

From The International Business Times Online, which contains many more photographs of artefacts from the tomb:

China: Ancient Tomb of First Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Grandmother Discovered in Xi'an

• By Mary-Ann Russon
  September 11, 2014 11:57 BST

A huge ancient tomb belonging to the grandmother of China's first emperor Qin Shi Huang has been found in Xi'an during excavations to expand the Xi'an University of Finance and Economics campus in Shaanxi province, northwest China.

According to China.org.cn, the tomb complex covers an area measuring 173,325 square metres, stretching 550m in length and 310 meters in width, and is the second largest tomb to have ever been discovered in the country.

The tomb complex.

So far, archaeologists have excavated two carriages and 12 horse skeletons (each carriage would have been pulled by six horses) out of the tomb.

The carriages and horses are a symbol of high rank which is equal to that of an emperor or a member of the royal family.

The archaeologists also discovered elegantly engraved pottery inscribed with the Chinese characters for Qin Shi Huang's grandmother, together with fragments of jade, gold and silver, have confirmed the archaeologists' beliefs that the tomb belongs to Qin Shi Huang's grandmother.

They also believe that the first emperor commissioned the tomb to be built and it was completed in his lifetime, but there is no word yet as to whether they have found her sarcophagus.

The turbulent Qin family

Qin Shi Huang (260-210BC) was the first emperor to unify China and enact major economic and political reforms across the country. China had previously consisted of a multitude of warring states and kingdoms, each under the control of feudal overlords, leading to much instability.
Although history knows his parents, the concubine Lady Zhao and King Zhuangxiang of the Kingdom of Qin, not much else is known about his family.

After the death of Qin Shi Huang's father, he took the throne at the age of 13.

His mother took a lover Lao Ai and had two illegitimate children. Later, Lao Ai tried to stage a coup with the intention of killing Qin Shi Huang and placing one of the two children on the throne as a puppet ruler.

Qin Shi Huang ordered his half-siblings to be killed and his mother was placed under house arrest, while Lao Ai died during the coup.

Perhaps the first emperor might have had a closer relationship with his grandmother than with his mother.

In later life, he never chose an empress, but sired 50 children on numerous concubines, so he might have had issues with forming relationships with women. [Gee, yah think?]

The legacy left by Qin Shi Huang

Qin Shi Huang standardised units of measurement, the length of axles of carts and currency, creating the Ban Liang coin. He also created the first unified Chinese script to make one language and communication system.

Although he destroyed many books about the past so that scholars could not compare his reign to rulers before him, he has left the world a lasting legacy in the form of the Great Wall of China, a defensive wall system, and his mausoleum complex, which is also in Xi'an.

The first emperor's tomb complex took 38 years and over 720,000 builders to construct, and its location was deliberately lost, hidden under the man-made Lishan Mountain, with trees and vegetation planted over it.

Builders who sealed one tomb chamber were killed when they reported to their superiors, who would in turn seal the next chamber and then report to superiors who killed them in turn. It is also rumoured that his concubines were buried alive with him.

When the last builders and guards reported back to the capital that the task had been completed, they were killed too, and the location of Qin Shi Huang's tomb lay hidden for over two thousand years.
In 1974, the tomb was discovered by farmers digging wells, who stumbled on the garrison of 6,000 terracotta warriors.

The central tomb chamber housing the first emperor's sarcophagus has not yet been excavated as archaeologists currently lack the technology to adequately preserve the tomb's contents.

They believe that some ancient booby traps like rivers of mercury and rigged crossbows might still await them, thanks to probes inserted into the tomb discovering abnormally high amounts of mercury.

Really? Call me Sceptical...

I don't believe for a second that the so-called Communists in charge of the Chinese government have not attempted to and possibly already succeeded in tunnelling underground to reach the tomb of China's first Han Dynasty emperor.  When those very same "leaders" start dying off of old age or poisoning en masse we'll see what mysterious Han Dynasty artefacts heretofore not documented in any legitimate collection come up for auction.  But, of course, there is always the undergound route, artefacts changing hands from billionaire "princeling" to billionaire that will never the light of public day.
Count on it, darlings.  Sadly.

The Secret Tomb of China's 1st Emperor: Will We Ever See Inside?

By Clara Moskowitz, LiveScience Senior Writer | LiveScience.com – Fri, Aug 17, 2012

Buried deep under a hill in central China, surrounded by an underground moat of poisonous mercury, lies an entombed emperor who's been undisturbed for more than two millennia.

The tomb holds the secrets of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, who died on Sept. 10, 210 B.C., after conquering six warring states to create the first unified nation of China.

The answers to a number of historical mysteries may lie buried inside that tomb, but whether modern people will ever see inside this mausoleum depends not just on the Chinese government, but on science.

"The big hill, where the emperor is buried — nobody's been in there," said archaeologist Kristin Romey, curatorial consultant for the Terracotta Warrior exhibition at New York City’s Discovery Times Square. "Partly it's out of respect for the elders, but they also realize that nobody in the world right now has the technology to properly go in and excavate it."

The Terracotta Warrior exhibition, featuring artifacts from the Qin dynasty and nine life-size statues from the extended burial complex built for Qin Shi Huang, is on display through Aug. 26.

The warring states
Qin Shi Huang (pronounced "chin shuh hwang") was born in 259 B.C., first son to the king of Qin, one of six independent kingdoms inside modern China. These kingdoms had been warring for more than 200 years, but through a combination of military strength, strategy and natural disasters, Qin Shi Huang conquered them all, proclaiming himself not just a king, but also an emperor — the first of China.

Scholars still debate the details of how this occurred, and what unique tactics allowed the Qin emperor to achieve what no one had managed before.

When he died, Qin Shi Huang was buried in the most opulent tomb complex ever constructed in China, a sprawling, city-size collection of underground caverns containing everything the emperor would need for the afterlife. The ancient Chinese, along with many cultures including ancient Egyptians, believed that items and even people buried with a person could be taken with him to the afterlife.

But instead of burying his armies, concubines, administrators and servants with him, the Qin emperor came up with an alternative: clay reproductions.

Shocking discovery
In 1974, a group of farmers digging wells near Xi'an, China stumbled upon one of the most shocking archaeological discoveries of all time. The life-size terracotta solider they dug out of the ground turned out to be just one of an army of thousands, each utterly unique, with individual clothing, hair and facial features.

For almost four decades, archaeologists have been excavating the site. So far, they've uncovered about 2,000 clay soldiers, but experts estimate there are more than 8,000 in total.

"They're going to be digging there for centuries," Romey predicted.

Still, scientists have yet to touch the central tomb, which holds a palace containing the body of Qin Shi Huang.

"It's really smart what the Chinese government is doing," Romey told LiveScience. "When we went into [Egyptian King] Tut's tomb, think about all the information we lost just based on the excavation techniques of the 1930s. There's so much additional that we could have learned, but the techniques back then weren’t what we have now."

"Even though we may think we have great archaeological excavation techniques right now," she said, "who knows, a century down the road if we open this tomb, what they're going to say?"

To open the tomb?
The decision whether to explore the tomb anytime soon, or ever, is up to the government of China. That decision will likely be influenced by the pace of technological progress.

"In archaeological conservation, every year you have major new developments," Romey said. "When we began excavating [the soldiers] in the '70s, the minute they were exposed to air and sunlight, the pigment just flaked off. Now they’ve figured out a new technique where they can actually preserve the paint as they excavate."

Perhaps, if science advances enough, that excavation wouldn't cause serious damage to the burial site, and the tomb will finally be opened.

"I wouldn’t be surprised if you had some sort of robotic visual survey going in there at some point," Romey said.

And despite their desire to protect the treasures of antiquity, archaeologists are itching with curiosity to find out what's inside Qin Shi Huang's central tomb.

Rivers of mercury
Ancient writings say the emperor created an entire underground kingdom and palace, complete with a ceiling mimicking the night sky, set with pearls as stars. Pits full of terracotta concubines have never been discovered, though experts predict they exist somewhere in the complex.

And Qin Shi Huang's tomb is also thought to be encircled with rivers of liquid mercury, which the ancient Chinese believed could bestow immortality.

"It's kind of ironic," Romey said. "This is probably how he died, by ingesting mercury. He was taking all these mercury pills because he wanted to live forever and it killed him by the age of 39."

That moat of mercury also presents another reason why archaeologists are loath to explore the tomb just yet — doing so would likely be very dangerous, according to soil samples around the tomb, which indicate extremely high levels of mercury contamination.

In the end, scientists and historians must always weigh their desire to know more with the damage such inquiry would cause.

"Archaeology, ultimately, is a destructive science," Romey said. "You have to destroy stuff in order to learn about it." [Really?  REALLY?  Back in Woolley's day, maybe. Because they were all about treasure hunting.  They didn't give a shit about the culture or the context.  They wanted gold, and jewels, and precious stones and wonderful still-intact artefacts.  But not today.  Anyone who tells you otherwise is full of it!  Of course, you do have the option of continuing to drink the koolaide...  Is it just me, or did anyone else happpen to notice how cloe this person's name is to Romney.  Who, exactly, is funding her job right now, by the way?]

The Latest on the Qin Terracotta Army

From china.org.cn

Experts: terra cotta army was looted and burned
Shanghai Daily, June 10, 2012

Chinese archaeologists say they have proved that the famous Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) terra cotta army in Xi'an was robbed of its weapons and figures broken and burned.

Xiang Yu, a military leader who overthrew the dynasty, is the prime suspect for the arson and looting, officials from the Museum of the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang said yesterday.

"We have found large quantities of red clay and charcoal along with holes for robbing in the major pit of terra cotta warriors," said Shen Maosheng, leader of the archeological team on the No.1 pit.

"These are evidence of arson and looting."

Archaeologists were publicizing the results of the third excavation since 2009 on the pits where thousands of life-sized terra cotta warriors and horses have been uncovered from three pits.

The figures were discovered in 1974 by farmers in Lintong District, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, near the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang (259-210 BC), the First Emperor who united warring China.

More than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses have been unearthed from the pits covering a total of 14,000 square meters.

The majority of the site is still buried, the museum said.

Caused by burning

Experts reassembling figures discovered some parts were their original blue color, while others were a red color, caused by burning.

This means the figures were firstly broken into pieces and then some parts set on fire, said Shen.

Most original weapons the figures held, such as spears, swords and crossbows, had disappeared, said Cao Wei, deputy curator of the museum.

"Rebel leader Xiang was the person with the power, time and motive to destroy the terra cotta warriors," Shen said.

Xiang hated the First Emperor, so had a motive to destroy the spiritual protectors of his tomb, said Shen.

He also needed weapons in order to fight the army of Qin Dynasty, as they had banned all weapons throughout the country.

The large holes into the pits gave another clue, said Shen.

They could only have been dug by a large group of people - such as Xiang's army, he said.

Footage on the China Central Television yesterday showed archaeologists painstakingly removing soil from figures being unearthed.

Most of the terra cotta figures were broken into pieces that archaeologists have to reassemble.

Experts had long speculated the pits had been destroyed by human intervention, but had never found evidence before.

Dubbed "one of the eight wonders in the world," and the "most splendid archaeological find" of the 20th century, the terra cotta figures are life-sized and vary in height, uniform and hairstyle in accordance with rank.

More Terracota Warriors Unearthed at Ancient Chinese Tomb Complex

I wonder - just how big is this complex?  Have the Chinese done sonar readings - or, how about using this new technology I blogged bout the other day - lidar - which is set to revolutionize archaeological discoveries and excavations -

From China Daily
114 Terracotta Warriors discovered at museum pit
By Ma Lie (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-12 06:52

XI'AN - A company of Terracotta Warriors - most painted in rich colors - have been unearthed at the largest pit within the mausoleum complex of the emperor who first unified China.

A total of 114 Terracotta Warriors have been found at No 1 pit, one of three, where excavation started in June last year, said Xu Weihong, head of the excavation team.

"The total area of the excavation was some 200 sq m and we were pleasantly surprised to find rich colors on Terracotta Warriors," he said.

Photos of the new find are expected to be released later this month.

The clay warriors, ranging in height from 1.8 m to 2 m, had black hair; green, white or pink faces; and black or brown eyes, the archaeologist said.

"It was hard work to restore the clay warriors as they were broken into pieces. It took us at least 10 days to restore one," Xu said.

The latest excavation also showed that the pit had seven layers, said Liu Zhanchang, director of the archaeology division of the Museum of Qin Shihuang Terracotta Warriors and Horses.

Also, traces of burns on the clay warriors and the walls prove that the pit had been set on fire, Liu said, adding more studies were needed for details.

A number of other relics including weapons, chariots, drums and painted wooden rings were also found during the excavation.

Qin Shihuang (259-210 BC), also called the First Emperor of China, was the founder of China's first unified feudal empire, the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC).

The pit - located in Lintong district of Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province - was discovered accidentally by farmers in March 1974.

On Oct 1, 1979, the Museum of Qin Shihuang Terracotta Warriors and Horses was opened to the public. It attracts millions of visitors from home and abroad every year.

The pits contain funerary objects for the mausoleum of Qin Shihuang, which is located some 1.5 km west of the pits. The clay warriors and horses are believed to represent the emperor's army.

The discovery of the Terracotta Warriors is considered of the most spectacular finds in the annals of archaeology and described as one of the wonders of the world.

Whoa! Terracotta Army Belongs to an Empress!!!

Okay - I'm trying to restrain myself. I wanted to write something like HISTORIAN LOBS NUCLEAR MISSILE AT COMMIE DIE-HARDS, or something like that, LOL! Here's the story reported by AFP: Terracotta army 'may have belonged to empress' (AFP) – 12 hours ago BEIJING — China's famed ancient terracotta army which surrounds the tomb of the nation's first emperor actually belonged to a female ancestor, a historian told a state-owned newspaper Wednesday. The army of life-sized figures discovered near the northern city of Xi'an is usually thought to be guarding the burial site of Qin Shihuang, who presided over the unification of China in 221 BC and declared himself the first emperor. But historian Chen Jingyuan told the Global Times he believes the emperor's ancestor Empress Xuan, who died 55 years before Qin's birth, was the real mastermind behind the army. Chen presents his evidence in his new book "The Truth of Terracotta Warriors," which details discrepancies such as the army's distance from Qin's tomb and the hairstyles and clothes of the warriors which he says indicate they belonged to the empress. "The hairstyle, the ancient Chinese characters found on some unearthed warriors and other evidence indicate the owner of the warriors was Empress Xuan," he told the paper. The clothes of the warriors were also painted in many colours, in contrast to the sombre black-clad soldiers of the emperor. "Empress Xuan, the so-called 'Empress Dowager Cixi of ancient times,' was one of the most powerful women in China's history. "During her reign, the Qin State was thriving and flourishing. This prosperity meant that this powerful woman had enough money to conduct such a huge project," Chin told the daily. But other historians and archaeologists disagree with his findings. Rest of article.

Nine mysteries of Emperor Qin Shihuang's tomb

Amazing how 8's and 9's keep cropping up time and time again in ancient board game iconography. Story from the People's Daily Online. I don't know why Questions 5 through 7 were left blank with no answers - not even an attempt at answers. Really bad form, People's Daily Online! Bad form! 17:09, June 11, 2009 The silent guardians of the tomb of Chinese emperor Qinshihuang are among the most important archeological finds of the 20th century. In the more than three decades since the underground legions of Terra Cotta Warriors were unearthed, millions from China and around the world have visited this eighth wonder of the world. However, until now there are still many mysteries about the tomb of Qinshihuang, which leave limitless space for people's imagination. Here are the nine most frequently questioned ones. First: How deep is the underground palace? According to history books like Shih Chi where the author Si Maqian comments, "down through three streams of spring", it is believed that the underground palace of Qin Shihuang's tomb is much deeper than can be reached. But how deep is it? That is still an unresolved question today. Second: How many doors dose the underground palace have? Actually the answer to the number of underground palace doors was put in Shih Chi thousands of years ago. However, it did not get attention from scholars. Third: Is it true that the palace has many astronomical and geographical scenes? According to what is recorded in the Shih Chi, the underground palace has many astronomical and geographical scenes. Is it true or not? Or, do the descriptions about the palace have some other meanings? Fourth: Does mercury really exit in the palace or not? The Shih Chi says Qin Shihuang created rivers and seas with mercury. And similar words appear in Han Shu, too. However, we may never know the truth about it. Fifth: How many rare jewels and precious stones did the palace seal and what are they? Sixth: Was the coffin of Qin Shihuang made from copper or wood? Seventh: Whether the underground palace has empty space or not? Eighth: About the automatic transmitter. It is well known that Qin Shihuang had spent huge efforts on preventing thieves. According to the Shih Chi, there is hidden equipment that can launch crossbows automatically to kill intruders. If this passage of words is true, that equipment could be the earliest automatic theft-proof equipment Ninth: Is the body of Qin Shihuang well-preserved? The well-preserved female mummified body discovered in the 1970s gave the whole world a great shock. Since that woman would have been alive around the same time as Qin Shihuang, people started to think of the possibility of a mummified Qin Shihuang. However, all the mysteries are still unknown until such time as the underground palace can be revealed before the people. By People's Daily Online