Archaeologists unearthed a 16-ton coffin containing treasure that could have belonged to the son of China's first emperor
Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of China, and his tomb is known for being guarded by an army of 6,000 life-size terracotta warriors. The emperor's main goal was to protect himself from death: he built a huge underground city full of armor and weapons. The army consisted of life-size terracotta warriors, infantrymen, horses, chariots, and all other equipment necessary for battle.
Qin Shi Huang's tomb is the largest mausoleum in the world, covering 22 square miles, and most of it has yet to be excavated. 2010 works focused on the tomb's foundation, revealing a huge palace with 18 courtyard-style houses arranged around a central building. Now, a huge 16-ton coffin, filled with treasures that could have belonged to the son of China's first emperor, has been found in the tomb, ArkeoNews reports.
The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang is the largest mausoleum in the world, covering 22 square miles.
For almost 2000 years, the myth of Prince Gao, son of China's first emperor Qin Shi Huang, has been passed down from generation to generation, carved into legend in the surviving epic saga by historian Sima Qian. According to the historian, after Qin Shi Huang died, his youngest son Huhai took the throne, killing all his rivals. Prince Gao told his brother that he regretted not voluntarily following his father to the afterlife and asked to be killed and buried in a large mausoleum. Huhai was happy to help.
The story of Prince Gao can sound fictional. But the discovery of a 16-ton coffin in a large burial chamber near the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang and his terracotta warriors may now bring this myth to life.
The emperor built a huge underground city full of armor and weapons.
The coffin was found to contain very rich funerary deposits, including weapons, armor, jade, a pair of gold and silver camels, a set of kitchen utensils, and 6000 bronze coins. With such a majestic burial, the deceased must have been one of the sons of the Qin Emperor or a high-ranking warrior.
"After the death of the first emperor, all his sons ended up badly, so I am still more inclined to believe that this tomb belongs to a high-ranking nobleman or army chief. The tomb was so precisely built. So deep, so large. Most ancient tombs have been looted, so we had no hope for the coffin chamber. But it turned out that it had not been robbed. We were amazed," Jiang Wenxiao, the head of the excavations, commented.
The army consisted of life-size terracotta warriors, infantrymen, horses, chariots, and all other equipment necessary for battle.
The British-Chinese co-production, which gained unique access to the mausoleum site and the ongoing excavations, was able to film the discovery. The series Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors, which centers around the excavations, will soon be available on Netflix.
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