3,648 ancient tombs unearthed in Shaanxi, including Wu Zetian's cousin

Rarely do archaeologists excavate so many tombs in Shaanxi province (China).

On December 9, a press conference organized by the Cultural Heritage Bureau of Shaanxi Province reported that, from June 2020 to November 2021, the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archeology unearthed 3,648 ancient tombs in the province. Hong Duyuan, Weicheng, Xianyang (Shaanxi province, China).

More than 16,000 groups of cultural relics have been unearthed, dating from the Warring States Period to the Qing Dynasty. Among them, the owner of the tomb is Duong Toan Tiet, cousin of Vo Tac Thien, the only female emperor in Chinese history.

According to experts, the material obtained from this excavation is very rich. Through a comprehensive study of the excavations at Hong Duyuan, the vast amount of information contained therein is enough to write half the history of the Northern, Sui, and Tang dynasties. Currently, excavation work is still underway.

The tombs have a history of more than 2,200 years

According to Li Ming, an archaeologist at the Institute of Archeology of Shaanxi Province, and the person in charge of the archaeological excavation project from June 2020 to November 2021, experts have excavated tombs with dating from the Warring States, Han and Western Jin dynasties in Weicheng District, Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province.

There are 3,648 ancient tombs found in the Thirteen Kingdoms, Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Song, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Among these, there are tombs that are said to have existed for more than 2,200 years.

During the 17 months of excavations, archaeologists have discovered tombs of the late Warring States period and a cemetery for burial members of the royal family, an early Western Han Dynasty cemetery, and 12 Han Dynasty cemeteries. , 3 family cemeteries in the Western Jin dynasty, 3 public cemeteries from the Sixteen Kingdoms to the Sui dynasties, 77 cemeteries in the Sui and Tang dynasties.

In addition, a large number of tombs of civilians from the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties have been found.

The lion-shaped celadon ware was excavated from the Western Jin Dynasty M49 tomb at Hong Du Nguyen.

"The scale of archaeological excavations with such a large number, long time, and diverse species has never been seen in Chinese archaeological history, I am afraid it will be difficult to meet in the future," said archaeologist Ly Minh.

In this area, archaeologists also found the graves of his cousin Vo Tac Thien and other family members.

Artifacts were found in the grave of Vo Tac Thien's cousin.

According to Ly Minh, the excavation site is located in Hong Du Nguyen cemetery, north of Truong An citadel during the Han and Tang dynasties. This information can be found in many different historical records. The excavated medium and large tombs account for a large proportion, there are many dated tombs, and the excavated cultural relics are abundant.

Among the Sui and Tang cemeteries in Hongdu, Xianyang, this burial place is said to be the most special.

Up to now, 77 cemeteries of the Sui and Tang dynasties have been discovered. In which, there are 23 graves with clear dates, including high-class graves such as the family cemetery of Duong Toan Tiet, Vo Tac Thien's cousin.

These cemeteries are surrounded by ditches, are neatly planned and do not interfere with each other. Inside and outside the cemetery there are many graves of members of the same family, with different burial patterns. These are the new finds from this excavation.

Ly Minh said that the tombs found in Hong Doc Nguyen are excellent evidence for studying the feudal tomb system. At the same time, it has great positive significance for building the framework of the archeological system of ancient Chinese tombs, contributing to the interpretation of historical, cultural, and scientific values. from the relics. cultural accumulation.