Scientists in China find extremely elaborate 2,200-year-old tomb from Chu state could have belonged to a king

Archaeologists working at the Wuwangdun tomb, above, discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui province in April this year, confirmed it is the largest and highest-level tomb from ancient Chu state dating back 2,200 years. Photo: National Cultural Heritage Administration/Handout via Xinhua

• Excavation project was approved in 2019 because tomb kept getting targeted by looters
• Leading hypothesis is it belonged to King Kaolie who conquered home of Confucius

Thousands of years ago, regional dynasties dominated Chinese politics, and one of the most unique and powerful was the state of Chu (770 BC-223 BC).

In mid-April, archaeologists in China announced they had excavated the largest Chu tomb discovered to date, and it belonged to the highest-ranking official they had ever discovered, likely a king.

The tomb, excavated in Anhui province in eastern China, dates back 2,200 years and is the most complex structure of its kind.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Scientists began the excavation process in 2019, in part because looters constantly targeted the tomb.

The site contained horse and chariot pits, sacrificial burial grounds and a cemetery. One particularly notable artefact discovered was a bamboo mat.

"The weaving technique of bamboo mats is similar to that of today. After carbon dating, we concluded that the age range of the bamboo mats is from 400 BC to 232 BC," said Zhang Zhiguo, the cultural relics protection manager of the Wuwangdun Tomb Archaeological Project, in interviews with mainland media.

Researchers also discovered other relics, such as bronze ritual vessels, utensils, lacquered wooden containers, musical instruments, and figurines.

Only one-third of the tomb has been excavated, so archaeologists expect further breakthroughs in the coming months and years.

While not confirmed, archaeologists hypothesised that the tomb may have belonged to King Kaolie (r. 262-238 BC). King Kaolie invaded and annexed the state of Lu (1042-249 BC), most famous as the birthplace of Confucius and Mozi (who built a career rejecting Confucianism).

When King Kaolie took over the Lu state, he forced the ruler, Duke Qing, to live his remaining years as a commoner.

One reason the scientists believe the tomb could have belonged to King Kaolie is because the king moved the Chu capital to Shouxian county in Anhui province, where they found the tomb.

However, three other kings ruled in Shouxian after King Kaolie: King You, King Ai and King Fuchu.

The evidence pointing to King Kaolie is strong. Academics believe they already know the location of King You's burial ground, which was destroyed in the 1930s.

King Ai was murdered by King Fuchu when he took the throne, so it is unlikely that Ai would have been granted such an elaborate tomb.

And finally, King Fuchu was the leader when the Chu state fell to the Qin dynasty (221-207 BC), and he was taken as a prisoner of war, making it unlikely that this tomb was built in his honour.

Gong Xicheng, deputy director of the Anhui Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, told reporters: "At present, the on-site work has entered the second stage within the coffin chamber, that is, the excavation and cleaning of the interior of the coffin chamber.

"Perhaps by then, the identity of the tomb owner will be revealed and the mystery can be solved."

The Chu state emerged during the Zhou dynasty (1046 BC-256 BC) and was technically a vassal state. However, the state was particularly difficult for Zhou leaders to control and would grow to become one of the most formidable challengers to the dynasty's leadership.

When the Chus began to expand northwards around 700 BC, the small states in China banded together to stop the expansion, starting a consolidation process that would eventually lead to the Warring States period, when six larger states spent 200 years battling for supreme control over China.

Eventually, the Qin state defeated the Chu state in 223 BC and united China two years later. During the conquest, the Qin destroyed the capital in Shouxian.

The Qin would only rule for 15 years, and when it fell its leaders installed Xiang Yu, a former member of the Chu ruling house, as the next ruler. However, Xiang would only survive for a few months before his general Liu Bang usurped the crown and started the Han dynasty (202 BC-220 AD).

The Chu culture was notable for having a particular affinity towards shamanism, and its people would worship animals that were considered to have high amounts of qi, which stands for the energy in everything, particularly gibbons.

While it suffered from the stereotype of being brutish, Liu Bang was from the Chu state, so its culture would persist through the Han dynasty.

More Articles from SCMP

Climate change: Shanghai’s main gas supplier is building facilities to turn kitchen waste into green methanol to fuel ships

Australia stops ‘golden visa’ scheme, aims to draw ‘exceptionally talented migrants’

‘Russian annexation of Bali’: Instagram post renaming Canggu as ‘New Moscow’ sets social media abuzz

Singapore’s new PM Lawrence Wong vows to ‘never settle for status quo’ in inaugural speech as country’s leader

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.