An invaluable find by Chinese archaeologists in the Yangtze province.
Due to the very rough terrain, the tractor could not get to the entrance to the tomb. With the help of a steel cable, the workers moved from their place a seven-ton stone block that blocked the passage to the tunnel, finally the way was opened and the expedition began to slowly descend into the tunnel. This took place in the highlands of the eastern Yangtze province.
At a depth of 70 meters, the researchers found themselves in a narrow adit, the air was stale. However, suddenly the passage widened and a spacious hall opened in front of the archaeologists. The light of the lanterns snatched from the pitch darkness the treasures with which the deceased had been supplied to the afterlife. Piles of gold coins, sculptures, and a jade-lined robe that looked like an alien's spacesuit gleamed dimly.
It is not the first time that Chinese archaeologists have discovered a jade sarcophagus. However, the current find among scientists aroused particular interest. The fact is that the underground mausoleum belonged to the local ruler Liu-Wu, who lived and died tragically in the second century BC.
In 154 BC. e. in China, a sharp struggle for power flared up. At that time, the Yingdi emperor ruled the 50 millionth middle kingdom. He tried to limit the powers of the provincial princelings, who felt themselves to be undivided rulers in their domains. Seven of them dared to challenge the throne of the dragon, raising an armed uprising. About half of China took part in the rebellion against the emperor.
Among them was Liu-Wu, the governor of the Chu province. He was a ruthless and dissolute man. The advisers who tried to dissuade him from participating in the mutiny were executed. Civil war broke out. The mighty imperial army set off on a military campaign. The emperor's order was: ruthlessly deal with the rebels. War chariots rolled ahead, followed by hordes of crossbowmen and longsword soldiers. The soldiers wore leather armor, which was covered with a layer of varnish for strength.
The mutiny was brutally suppressed. The imperial generalissimo surrounded the rebel army, blocking the supply routes for food. Hunger broke the Will of the rebels. Six provincial rulers chose to commit suicide, the seventh was captured and publicly executed.
Liu-Wu was among the six suicides. Wishing to avoid the fate prepared for the defeated commander according to the ancient Chinese proverb "The Winner is in the Minister of War, the Defeated - into the Boiling Cauldron," he, as written in the letters, suffocated. The method of self-suppression remained unknown to historians.
Promotional video:
An interesting fact established by Chinese archaeologists thanks to the latest Find: the perjurer Liu-Wu was buried with all the honors. Why? This riddle is to be solved….
The work of archaeologists in the Yangtze province lasted more than ten years. Archaeologists, centimeter by centimeter, moved towards the entrance to the Liu-Wu mausoleum through solid rock, the six-ton boulder was only the last stage. But scientists were more than rewarded for their painstaking and hard work. Next to Liu-Wu's jade robes lay piles of coins - a total of 176 thousand pieces, an arsenal of weapons, hundreds of jade figurines depicting mainly cicadas and dancers, as well as 200 seals and stamps. They are especially valuable because, as archaeologists are convinced, they will help to introduce many clarifications into the political system of ancient China.
Of particular interest is the stone garment in which Liu-Wu was buried. It is "made up of four thousand jade plates" Folded. Experts say that this is the most beautiful sarcophagus ever found. It is partially destroyed and is now being restored.
So far, 40 scaly sarcophagi have been found, most of them poorly preserved. They entered Fashion in ancient China during the Khan dynasty (206 BC - 24 AD. The most interesting belongs to the ruler Luchenu British Museum.
The emergence of the burial "Jade" cult is associated with ancient Chinese magic. According to legend, the pale green shimmering jade has a magical effect, giving the deceased eternal life and protecting the corpse from decay. Already at the end of the Stone Age, this mineral was used by the Chinese for crafts and funeral rituals.
The poor people were only put in their mouths with a small jade plate. However, they did not save on the mineral when they buried the emperor or other noble persons - the clergy performing the funeral rite plugged all nine holes on the body of the deceased with jade plugs. Then his body was placed in a robe decorated with jade plates. Precious burial clothes were made in special imperial workshops. Artisans polished the stone and strung the plates on the material using gold or silver thread. The sarcophagus of Liu-Wu was, in addition, adorned with a belt with four buttons of solid gold.
By the way, we will note that the opinion that jade has an embalming effect is erroneous. The bodies of ancient Chinese rulers, which were lined with jade on all sides, completely decayed. Nothing remained of the ashes of Liu-Wu. When scientists opened his sarcophagus, they found only a handful of dust there.