Sunday 9 December 2012

More photos from the Tomb of Xu Xianxiu

This tomb is located east of Taiyuan’s Dongshan Wangjiafeng 東山 王家峰 village, excavated during 2000–02.
According to the record of the tomb memorial tablet, the deceased was the prince of Wuan 武安 Xu Xianxiu, who was buried in Wuping 2 (571).
The tomb is square- shaped with a brick chamber 31 m long, facing south.
It was composed of a sloping tomb passageway, air shafts, skylight, brick entryway, and coffin chamber. There was a stone door with relief sculpture in the entryway. There were colored paintings on the side walls of the tomb passageway, on the doors, and the walls of the coffin chamber depicting more than 200 different kinds of people, every type of insignia, weapon, music instrument and everyday goods.
The theme of the north wall-painting of the coffin chamber is based on pictures of the tomb couple’s domestic life and feasting. At the side are dancing girls and servants. On the east and west walls is an oxcart and a horse-cart in the center, integrated with a team of flag-bearers carried by the guard of honor on the front wall, the corridor wall, and the passageway walls, creating a magnificent procession.

Of the late- Northern Dynasties wall-painting tombs found so far, this is the only one in complete condition; it has provided a fine pictorial source for the study of funeral customs, regulations, and tomb-chamber arrangements of that period.
There was also a ring embedded with a diamond, which, as an item from the West, provides evidence of cultural exchange.

For a complete set of photos (only small captures): Penn Libraries






















No comments: