China discovers the real tomb of Emperor Han Wen

After years of skepticism, Chinese archaeologists have discovered evidence of the actual burial place of the 5th king of the Han Dynasty based on newly found characteristic artifacts.

The cluster of 30 m deep catacombs located near Phoenix Mountain, Xi'an (Shaanxi capital) has attracted the attention of scientists. With more than 1,000 ceramic statues and 3,000 precious metal artifacts, the site is believed to be the actual burial place of Emperor Wenwen - the 5th king of the Han Dynasty (206-220 BC), according to South China Morning. Posted on December 18.

The research team excavated the tomb of Han Van De.

Many ceramic statues and artefacts were found in the mausoleum.

"After examining ancient documents, we can conclude that the tomb cluster is the resting place of Emperor Wen," said Ma Yongying, a researcher from the Shaanxi Institute of Archeology.

First discovered in 2017, the 70m long, 30m deep mausoleum with characteristic architecture dedicated to the emperors and empresses of China. Before that, it was suggested that Emperor Han was buried a few kilometers away from the current site.

Although traces of the mausoleum have largely disappeared over the centuries, artefacts found inside, including the king's seal and several ceramic statues, support the team's view.

Previously, due to a lack of field evidence, archaeologists in Shaanxi once hypothesized that Emperor Han Wen's tomb might have been in another place, instead of being located on Phoenix Mountain as originally thought.

Image of Emperor Wen in Chinese history books.

Emperor Han's real name was Luu Hang. He is the son of Han Cao To (or Luu Bang) - the founding king of the Han Dynasty. During his more than 20 years in power, Emperor Han helped increase agricultural output and implemented tax reduction measures for the people.

Emperor Wen was one of the few Han kings who was not buried in the Xianyang Mountains (the area near Xi'an) - the site chosen by Han Cao To as the royal resting place of that time.