In 1972, the intact tomb of a noble lady of the Han dynasty was discovered at Mawangdui in the eastern outskirts of Changsha, China. Although eclipsed by the discovery of the life-sized terracotta warriors of Qin Shi Huang-di two years later, the Mawangdui tomb is still considered one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th century and provided important insight into the lifestyle of the rich and famous of early Western Han society. The tomb was filled with food offerings and household items that Xin Zhui, the wife of the Chancellor or “Marquis” of the state of Changsha,…
-
-
With the recent developments in the excavation of Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum, and the discovery of more terracotta warriors, not to mention the ground-breaking discoveries of the tomb of Cao Cao, and the 100,000-year-old fossil, it’s an exciting time for archaeologists in China. The past decade has certainly been a good one for Chinese archaeology. So good in fact, that one might say it’s been a golden age. To Zhao Zhijun, a Chinese archaeologist working in Beijing, this is no overstatement. “We know the best archaeological methods, our research is open now, we have plenty of funding, and we have…