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The marquis: corrupt playboy or ‘elegant yuppie’?
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LIU He, who died in 59 BC, merited but a few lines in historical records and was all but forgotten when excavation at an ancient cemetery in Jiangxi Province unearthed the story of the marquis.
The excavation at the 40,000-square-meter site started in 2011, after villagers reported spotting tomb raiders in the vicinity. The excavation, meant to protect the area from grave robbers, revealed its findings last November. They were verified in March.
As the story unfolds, the marquis was deposed as emperor after only 27 days on the throne. His grave revealed a trove of artifacts, including more than 10 tons of bronze coins and more than 10,000 other items of gold, bronze and iron.
The finds dominated newspaper headlines, TV and social media for weeks. Liu was dubbed an ancient tu hao, or “earthy new rich.” The vast treasure of two million coins was found heaped in a pile.
More than 300 of the more than 10,000 relics unearthed from ongoing excavations are on display at Capital Museum in an exhibition entitled “Splendid Findings — The Archeological Excavations at the Royal Cemetery of the Haihunhou Kingdom in the Han Dynasty.” It runs through June 2.
“In the Han Dynasty (202 BC - AD 220), the burial custom was to treat the dead like the living,” museum curator Qi Mei told Shanghai Daily. “Therefore, his cemetery was designed like a mansion, with a main chamber, four functional areas, storage warehouses, a kitchen and a music room.”
Last December, when an exhibition of some of the excavation findings was held in Jiangxi Province, the display proved so popular that it was extended from seven days to one month.
“As the title ‘Splendid Findings’ suggests, the exhibited objects are proof of the prosperity of the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC - AD 8) that we often read about in ancient texts,” Qi explained.
“The title also indicates the variety of the findings in the cemetery.”
While excavations are continuing, the grave is now the most complete burial site of its time ever excavated. The tomb of the wife of the marquis has already fallen victim to grave robbers.
“This cemetery, too, would probably have been ravaged by tomb raiders if we hadn’t intervened when they did,” Yang Jun, head of the excavation team, told the media earlier.
A pair of bronze lamps in the shape of a goose catching a fish in its mouth is particularly rare from that period.
Designed about 2,000 years ago, the lamps are surprisingly ecological. Smoke emitted from burning wax entered the bird’s body via an opening in the fish. It traveled through the neck into the hollow belly, where water was stored to dissolve the smoke.
The brightness of the lamps could be adjusted. They were wind-proof and easily dismantled for cleaning.
“You just have to admire how thoughtful and skilled they were 2,000 years ago to design such a lamp,” Qi said. “The lamps also reveal the comfortable, elegant lifestyle of the owner.”
According to historical texts, Liu, at 18 years old, was called to the capital to become emperor after the reigning monarch died young without leaving an heir. The country was in strict mourning, which required light eating, restraint from entertainment and the wearing of mourning costumes. Liu was said to have broken almost all the rules with excessive partying. He was quickly deposed by a cabal of royals and powerful ministers.
The new emperor, a cousin, appointed Liu marquis of the Haihun area, which is today located in Jiangxi. Although Liu may have had a reputation as a corrupt playboy in his time, the findings in his gravesite reveal another side of the marquis.
Some experts have even called him an “elegant yuppie,” based on jade artifacts, wood tablets, bamboo slips, chessboards, musical instruments and even portraits of Confucius and his students unearthed from the grave.
“The cemetery contained a large amount of bamboo slips and nearly 100 wood tablets, which are on display in photos,” Qi said.
Many classic Chinese texts, including “The Analects of Confucius,” “The Book of Changes,” “The Book of Rites” and some medical books have already been identified by research on the tablets and slips.
A broken lacquer screen was also excavated from the main chamber of the gravesite. It was painted with one of the earliest portraits of Confucius.
“The Confucius books and the portraits confirm historical records that Liu’s masters included some of the most famous scholars of that era,” Qi explained. “The findings indicate that the marquis was heavily influenced by Confucian ideology. He admired Confucian culture and loved reading and collecting books.”
The exhibition also contains complete sets of bianzhong, or Chinese bells, an ancient music instrument used in ritual ceremonies. There were also other ancient Chinese musical instruments and figurines of musicians.
In the kitchen area, archaeologists found a bronze vessel that was filled with chestnuts, water caltrop and taro, possibly a distillery to make alcohol. If that theory is confirmed, it would be the earliest distillery ever unearthed in China, predating others by nearly 1,000 years.
“As archaeologists continue analyzing and studying the objects found, we can expect to see a more well-rounded and exciting portrait of royal life in that time,” Qi said.
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