Mawangdui Han Tombs
Silk books with more than 100,000 Chinese characters are rare historical artifacts. The content deals with ancient philosophy, history, science, technology, medicine and many other aspects.
The excavation of Number 1 tomb at Mawangdui can not only be considered a wonder in Chinese archeology, but also left a profound effect on the world’s archeological history. The corpse of this tomb's owner, a noble lady, and other articles buried with the dead were extremely well preserved for more than 2,000 years, especially the corpse. When disinterred from the tomb, her corpse was complete and the body was still moist and supple. Some of her joints could move, her organs and surrounding tissues were still intact and the skin was still flexible. It was as if she had been buried yesterday. It is also a scientific miracle in the study of antisepsis, shocking the whole world and attracting the attention of both scholars and visitors.
The sarcophagus of Number 1 tomb was covered by a colorful silk painting. It is the best preserved painting of its kind from the Han Dynasty (206BC-220) with the highest artistic value in China. It is in the shape of the English letter 'T', so people call it 'T' silk painting. This kind of silk painting was called 'long narrow flag' in ancient time and used for funerals. It was held by the person who headed the funeral procession and then draped over the coffin when burying the dead. This silk painting from Number 1 tomb can be divided into three parts. The upper part is about the heaven, the middle part is about the earth and the lower part is about the afterlife. Heaven means the end-result for life of the dead. Earth shows the wealth and nobility of the dead when alive. World after death displays the happiness of the dead in the afterworld. The whole painting is symmetrical and colorful. The mysteries, strange animals and mysterious signs in the painting present us with a romantic world with its own sense of symbolism. No one has been able to interpret its real meaning.
All of the unearthed relics are exhibited in Hunan Provincial Museum.
Editor:Xu Xinlei
|
