Tomb of Chinese emperor found near terracotta army

[G-Manicus]

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Xi'an (China), Sep 29 : The first emperor of China would be rolling in his grave if he knew his Qin empire outlived him by only three years and its last emperor had since been lying within a kilometre of himself for 2,200 years.

 

A noted Chinese archaeologist, who was involved in the excavation and research of Qin Shihuang's terracotta army, has located the tomb of Ziying, the third and last emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.), about 500 metres northwest of the mausoleum of emperor Qin Shihuang in the suburbs east of Xi'an, capital of the north-western Shaanxi province.

 

Ziying's tomb, 109 metres long, 26 metres wide and 15.5 metres deep, was the second largest in the area after the grave of the first emperor, said Yuan Zhongyi, a former curator at the Museum of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang.

 

The tomb was found in 2003 outside the walls that encircled the mausoleum of Qin Shihuang. Archaeologists have since been trying to identify its occupant. Subsequent excavations of bronze ware and textiles indicated the tomb dated back to the Qin Dynasty.

 

The size, location and sacrificial items contained in the tomb also indicated its owner enjoyed a very high status, said Yuan.

 

Yuan, who has been excavating and studying heritage pieces from the mausoleum since 1974, has concluded that the most likely occupant was Ziying, who ruled the Qin Dynasty for 46 days before it ended and he was killed.

 

"This one has to be Ziying's tomb as the tombs of all other Qin rulers have been located," he said. "It was natural to bury the last emperor hastily close to the mausoleum when the Qin dynasty was toppled."

 

Many Chinese emperors had their tombs built when they were still alive, but Ziying didn't have the time, he said.

 

After the first emperor died in 210 B.C., his childless concubines, maids and workers who had built his tomb were all buried alive. "The place northwest of the mausoleum was apparently the largest open area to become Ziying's tomb."

 

Qin Shihuang has always been remembered as the emperor who built the Great Wall of Chinas and had an entire army of clay warriors and horses sculpted to help him rule in the afterlife.

 

The terracotta army buried around Qin Shihuang's mausoleum was one of the greatest archaeological finds of modern times. It was discovered in Lintong County, 35 km east of Xi'an, in 1974 by peasants who were digging a well.

 

The largest-ever overseas exhibition of the terracotta army, including 20 life-sized clay statues of warriors, acrobats and musicians, began at the British Museum on Sep 13 and will last until next April.

 

When Qin Shihuang died in 210 B.C., his youngest son Hu Hai ascended the throne. Within three years, the Qin Empire fell apart and the second emperor committed suicide. His tomb is located in the southern suburbs of Xi'an.

 

But the true identity of Qin's last emperor Ziying remains controversial. Some historians say he was the nephew or elder brother of the second emperor, while others believe he was the younger brother of Qin Shihuang. No one knows how old he was when he was killed in 206 B.C.

[Gaius Octavius]

One may also get a horrorscope there!

[G-Manicus]

After the first emperor died in 210 B.C., his childless concubines, maids and workers who had built his tomb were all buried alive.

A little incentive to keep him healthy I guess!

[ASCLEPIADES]

After the first emperor died in 210 B.C., his childless concubines, maids and workers who had built his tomb were all buried alive.

A little incentive to keep him healthy I guess!

That would have happened at the middle of the II Punic War, during the consulship of M. Valerius Laevinus and the fourth of M. Claudius Marcellus (DXLIV AUC). One of those hard years to the Roman Republic.