Lavish Chu State Emperor’s Tomb Unearthed in China, Dated to 2,200-Years-Old

A lavishly decorated tomb discovered in eastern China may be the resting place of the ruler of the Chu state, one of the dominant powers during China's tumultuous Warring States period, which occurred around 2,200 years ago. This tomb, located near Huainan in Anhui province, is unprecedented in its size and complexity among Chu state tombs.

This find comes after a four-year course of excavations at the Wuwangdun site that has yielded a treasure trove of over 1,000 cultural artifacts, including lacquered items, bronze ritual vessels, musical instruments, and a central coffin adorned with more than 1,000 written characters. This has been reported by officials from China's National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) via the state news agency Xinhua.

• Warring States Period: More than 200 Years of Blood-fueled Chinese History
• 2,300 Years and Still Shining: Archaeologists Unearth Brilliantly Preserved Chinese Sword

Selection of lacquerwares unearthed from the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province. (Anhui provincial cultural relics and archaeology research institute/Handout via Xinhua)

Excavating Wuwangdun: A Scientific Analysis of a Warring Time

Throughout the excavation of the Wuwangdun tomb, an archaeological laboratory with controlled low-oxygen levels was established, providing researchers with a secure temporary environment to work while safeguarding the excavated artifacts.

In addition to conventional recording methods, the archaeological team employed advanced techniques such as digital scanning, surveying, and mapping to acquire real-time data from the excavation site. They generated an exceptionally precise 3D digital representation of all strata within the tomb. They then utilized infrared imaging technology to extract and analyze over 1,000 characters inscribed on the coffin lid, originally written in Chinese ink.

• Is 8,000-year-old Damaidi Rock Art the Origin of Chinese Writing?
• 8 Ancient Chinese Inventions the West Had Not Imagined

The layout of the outer coffin at the main tomb after slabs were removed in the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province. (National Cultural Heritage Administration/Handout via Xinhua)

Based on radiocarbon dating and other analyses, it's been determined that the tomb likely dates back to the later period of the Chu state around 220 BC, during a time when it was gradually succumbing to the influence of the Qin state. Following the fall of the Zhou dynasty, China entered a turbulent period known as the Warring States era, with seven powerful states vying for supremacy: Qin, Han, Wei, Zhao, Qi, Chu, and Yan. The eventual triumph of the Qin state led to the unification of China, marking the dawn of the modern era.

This picture shows cultural relics unearthed from the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province. (Anhui provincial cultural relics and archaeology research institut/Handout via Xinhua)

According to Shen Hanqing, former chief of Huainan Museum, the discoveries made in the Wuwangdun tomb indicate that during the transitional period from the late Warring States period to the Qin (221 BC-207 BC) and Han Dynasties (202 BC- 220 AD), various regions of China were engaging in exchanges with one another. Shen emphasized that this period marked the development of the core idea of a unified multi-ethnic country, which has since evolved into the cultural essence of the Chinese people.

"The excavation and protection work at the Wuwangdun tomb will be carried out simultaneously, and various scientific and technological measures will be used so that the archaeological value of the tomb will be clearly and comprehensively presented," Gong told Xinhua.

Significance of the Find: The Collapse of the Chu Feudal System

Xicheng Gong, leading the excavations from the Anhui Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Institute, emphasized the significance of the tomb's timing, occurring during the pivotal period preceding the collapse of the feudal Chu system. Despite extensive excavation efforts, only a third of the tomb has been explored, and the identity of the individual buried within remains a mystery.

"The findings can provide an overall picture of the political, economic, cultural, technological and social conditions of the Chu state," Gong said, adding that they could also improve archaeologists' understanding of Chu's evolution into part of a unified China.

Zhiguo Zhang, a researcher from China's National Center for Archaeology, described the meticulous preservation efforts undertaken at the site, including the construction of a specialized low-oxygen laboratory. Innovative techniques such as digital scanning, surveying, mapping, and infrared imaging technology were employed to create precise records and 3D models of the tomb's contents, reports Live Science.

The historical context surrounding the Chu territories' integration into the Han dynasty by 202 BC, and the subsequent expansion of Han influence into regions like northern Korea by 194 BC, underscores the regional significance of Chinese tombs from this period, particularly in relation to Korean history.

Top image: Archaeologists work at the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province. Source: National Cultural Heritage Administration/Handout via Xinhua

By Sahir Pandey