A group of Chinese archaeologists found a collection of 30 graves in Hubei, China, that were encircled by 98 horses and 28 chariots.
The amazing find, which has a 2,800-year age, is only one instance of a tactic adopted by powerful nobles to show off their might.
The 2,800-year-old set of tombs, which are said to have been constructed during the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC-476 BC), is located in the Hubei province’s Zaoyang city. At least 30 graves of varying sizes have been discovered during recent digs.
According to preliminary research, the tombs are from the high-ranking upper class of that time in Chinese history.
A new chariot pit that is 33 meters long and 4 meters broad has now been revealed. “This chariot and horse pit is distinct from those found along the Yangtze River in the past. The chariots and horses were deeply interred, according to Liu Xu, a professor at Peking University’s School of Archaeology and Museology. The remaining components of the chariots were assembled one at a time after several of the wheels had been removed
“Based on how the horses were hidden, I can assume that they were buried after they died because there was no sign of a fight. The manner they were arranged is the second factor. They were on their sides and positioned back to back. According to Huang Wenxin, an investigator from the provincial archaeological institution, it indicates that two horses draw a single chariot.
According to Liu Xu, the number of chariots and horses represents the ranks of the dead.
At those time, a country’s power was frequently determined by its chariot population. More chariots indicate a great nation. The number of chariots was used to determine strength. The chariots are equivalent to a high-tech item in today’s terms. Chariot ownership is restricted to those with relatively high levels, Liu remarked.
According to some historians, Confucius’ history of the ruling dynasty at the time served as the inspiration for the name of the chaotic “Spring and Autumn Period” in Chinese history. The title of his work was “Spring and Autumn Annals.”
One of the most opulent forms of transportation in ancient China was the chariot, so researchers decided to attempt to recreate it in . The wood of the 2,400-year-old cart discovered in the Majiayuan graveyard in the Gansu province had rotted away, but by fusing archaeological data with modeling software, scientists were able to construct a replica of “ancient China’s No. 1 luxury automobile.”
The discovery at Zaoyang brings to mind the discovery of Duke Jing of Qi’s tomb in Shandong Province, China, in the 1960s. In addition to being from the Summer and Autumn Period in Chinese history, Duke Jing’s tomb was also discovered to be encircled by pits of horses that were said to have been slaughtered to be his companions in the hereafter and to demonstrate his might and power even after his death. Although it’s thought that there may have been up to 600 horses interred in Duke Jing’s honor, researchers only discovered 251 of them together with 30 dogs, 2 pigs, and 6 other domestic animals.
The practice of large ceremonial funerals was not exclusive to the Chinese. However, that was in a much earlier period, from around 3100 BC to 2900 BC, during the reign of the First Dynasty. At that time, the ancient Egyptians were also known for human sacrifice, burying servants with their deceased pharaohs. After that time, figurines took the role of the live
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