The burial place of the legendary Queen Himiko, who ruled the ancient kingdom of Yamatai in the 3rd century AD, was discovered in Japan. At least, the discoverers - Japanese archaeologists are convinced of the find, according to the online edition of the London Daily Telegraph
However, scientists are unlikely to be able to obtain definitive evidence of their discovery, since the imperial palace has forbidden further excavations at the site of the alleged tomb of the queen in the city of Sakurai, located near the ancient capital of Nara in central Japan on the island of Honshu.
A team of archaeologists led by Professor Hideki Harunari proved that the clay artifacts found in the excavation site date from the period between 240 and 260 AD, and not later, as the skeptics insisted. This was established on the basis of the conducted radiocarbon analysis.
Thus, the burial corresponds in time to the chronicles of the Chinese imperial court, with which the Yamatai kingdom maintained contacts, where there is evidence that Queen Himiko died around 250 AD.
Where did the legend come from and what exactly is the legend of Queen Himiko? Her name in translation, as experts say, means "Priestess of the Sun" or "Sun Shaman". The Chinese claimed that Himiko possessed miraculous powers because she followed the teachings of the "Way of the Demons." The Chinese called Japanese pagan deities "demons".
The way of life of this royal person corresponded to the name: she kept chastity, did not accept men. In order to reinforce such a reputation, the queen kept a retinue of thousands of female slaves.
All day and night, Himiko was shamanic and indulged in mysterious rituals, "communicating with the gods." She communicated the "will of the gods" to her younger brother, who was entrusted with the burden of managing the secular affairs of the state. The brother was the only man who was allowed to enter the queen's chambers.
Earlier, where the burial of Queen Himiko is now believed to have been discovered, archaeologists have found the ruins of the palace complex. This complex represents the remains of three buildings, the foundation of a temple and one more structure of unclear purpose, surrounded by a defensive wall, Izvestia recently noted.
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Archaeologists believe that Himiko lived in this particular palace and should now be considered a real historical figure. There were doubts about this before. Himiko was not mentioned in the Japanese chronicles, but in the Chinese we are talking about the regent who ruled in those distant times under a different name - Jingu. This Jingu allegedly united the country, which received the name Yamato, probably a derivative of Yamatai, and even conquered Korea. According to Chinese chronicles, during the reign of Himiko, peace and tranquility reigned, and after her death, the ancient Japanese immediately began to desperately fight each other on the principle of "all against all."
The alleged keyhole burial of Queen Himiko is 280 meters long. This is almost three times longer than other burial places in the region, which speaks in favor of its special status.
Experts believe that the find and conclusions of Professor Hideki Harunari are capable of causing a new wave of controversy in Japan regarding Japanese history and the nuances of the origin of the imperial family. According to Japanese tradition, the imperial family has a "divine" origin - from the mythical sun goddess and head of the pantheon of Shinto gods Amaterasu.
In this regard, no one should be allowed to excavate the alleged grave of Lord Himiko, although this could shed light on real history and end the debate once and for all.