- Index - Exhibition
- The Exhibition OF Mawangdui Han Tombs
- 1.A Great Archaeological Discovery
- 2.Walking into the Family of the Marquis of Dai
- --Li Cang’s Family
- --An Extravagant Life
- --The Beauty of Lacquerware
- --The Brilliance of the Silk Country
- --The Treasure on Silk and Inscribed Slips
- 3.Set of Painted Coffins with a Big Outer Coffin
- 4.Everlasting Remains
- 5.Gallery
- The Exhibition of Shang and Zhou Bronzes Found in Hunan
- The Exhibition of Ceramics from Famous Kilns in Hunan
- Exhibition of Calligraphies in the Ming and Qing Dynasty
- Exhibition of Paintings Created in the Ming and Qing Dynasties
- Exhibition of Ten New Major Archaeological Discoveries in Hunan
A Great Archaeological Discovery
From 1972 to 1974, three tombs of the early Western Han dynasty were excavated at Mawangdui in Changsha. The tombs were identified as those of Li Cang, who was the chancellor to the prince of Changsha State and the Marquis of Dai, Li Cang’ wife and his son. The over 3000 cultural relics unearthed from the tombs not only provide artefacts for studying the politics, economics, science and technology of the early Western Han civilization, but also establish a yardstick for dating the archaeology of the early Han dynasty.
Photo of the location of Mawangdui Han Tombs
Photo of excavated scene at Tomb No.1
From January 16 to April 28, 1972, Tomb No.1 was excavated and more than 1,000 treasures such as lacquerware, fabrics, paintings on silk, bamboo slips and a well-preserved female corpse were unearthed from it.
Photo of excavated scene at Tomb No.2
From December 18, 1973 to January 13, 1974, Tomb No.2 was excavated. Because it wasn’t sealed compactly and had been robbed several times, the chamber had decayed and collapsed, barely 200 funeral objects such as seals, lacquerware, jade and bronzeware were found in it.
Photo of excavated scene at Tomb No.3
From November 19 to December 13, 1973, Tomb No.3 was excavated. Over 1,000 cultural relics such as books copied on silk, paintings on silk, bamboo and wooden slips, lacquerware and fabrics, were unearthed from it.
Wooden Tablet with Burial Date
Length 30cmUnearthed from Tomb No.3
The inscription reads, “On the first Wuchen day of Yisi, the second month of the twelfth year, the chamberlain in charge of funeral service, holding a memorial with funeral articles, presents a list of the delivery for inspection.” Accordingly, “the first Wuchen day of Yisi, the second month of the twelfth year” is equivalent to the twenty-fourth day of the second month of the twelfth year in the reign of Emperor Wendi of Han (168B.C.). This tablet gives the exact burial date of the tomb.
Wooden Spade with Iron Blade
Length139.5cmUnearthed from Tomb No.3
It was a tool for building the tomb, found in the filling soil.