Photo: cnsphoto

Excavation details relating to an Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) tomb cluster in Yuncheng,MKsports North China's Shanxi Province, were revealed recently. Consisting of three tombs, the site features a unique burial tradition implemented by Cao Cao, one of the most widely discussed figures in Chinese history. 

Located in Maojin village in the city of Yuncheng, the tomb cluster contains a total of three individual tombs tagged by researchers as M7, M8 and M27. 

M7 and M8 are single- and double-chamber brick tombs with long sloping passageways. M7 contained abundant burial objects such as pottery jars and bronze wares that are "typical of funeral objects preferred by Eastern Han Dynasty people," historian Fang Gang told the Global Times. M8 is a multi-chamber structure. Archaeologists uncovered 23 sets of burial artifacts including glazed pottery containing scattered copper coins.

Were it not for the rich number of relics discovered in Tombs M7 and M8, archaeologists would not have recognized the uniqueness of Tomb M27, especially its striking frugality. 

Tomb M27 contained no refined relics such as glazed pottery, ritual vessels like dishes or spoons. It also has a much narrower entrance gate atypical of contemporaneous burials. 

"We highly believe that such frugality is a manifestation of the anti-extravagant burial policy that was implemented by Eastern Han warlord Cao Cao," said Ding Jinlong, the leading archaeologist of the project. He also added that the tomb was likely built after the 10th year of the Jian'an era (205), during which the policy was introduced. 

This anti-extravagance burial policy was known as Bozang Zhi. Historian Zhou Xueying told the Global Times that Cao Cao's policy was "revolutionary" since prior to this change "other dynasties would devote nearly one-third of the state's resources to constructing imperial mausoleums." 

"He [Cao Cao] reflected on the excessive burials such as those during the Qin Dynasty [221BC-206BC], so he decided to leave all the fortunes for him and people 'above' the ground and not take them under the ground," Zhou remarked, adding that the warlord's reform "helped people to view him fairly." 

"Traditionally, he was a controversial figure who carried tags such as 'unscrupulous scheming' and 'multifaceted personality.' But meanwhile, he was also a man with true capacity, wisdom, and was a visionary," Zhou emphasized.  

Another highlight of the discovered tomb cluster was that tombs M7 and M8 were meticulously decorated, as evidenced by the deliberate painting of red pigment on their bricks. 

Ding revealed that these red-painted bricks were "not reused materials collected from refined demolished structures, but were painted on site during the tomb's construction." 

Fang told the Global Times that ancient people's act of painting burial bricks red "reflect their reverence for funeral practices." He also stressed that such a practice carries "symbolic meaning that embodied ritualistic sentiment and also was used by ancient people as a means to ward off evil spirits." 

Both tombs M7 and M8 have clear configurations consisting of a sloping passage, an entrance gate, a corridor and a burial chamber. Through analysis of the excavated objects, researchers dated M8 to a period later than M7 (close to 179).