CHINA ARQUEOLOGIA golden-age-chinese-archayeolog

Indeed, the contents and construction of these tombs testify to important changes in
religion and ritual that occurred between the fourth and third centuries BCE. 3 Multi-chambered
tombs, with specific functions assigned to each room, show the influence of the south
and the Chu state — the birthplace of Liu Bang — as do the everyday utensils and forms of lacquerware.
The wooden and clay guardian and servant figures similarly suggest Chu influence.
The Han use of stone, both for the tombs and for the carvings and figures contained
within, derives from areas to the north and west. Ornamental work — gold belt plaques, decorative
motifs, and even the forms of figures on functional objects such as lamps — reflects the
style of the borderlands. It is unlikely that the Han viewed such designs simply as exotica: the
periphery of the known world was thought to be inhabited by strange spirits, and it seems likely
that these motifs and object forms were adapted for their magical or auspicious associations.
Ferocious tigers, animals in combat, and silver boxes in Iranian taste were thus assimilated to
Han functions and Han views of the universe (cats. 141-143). 4
The east, on the other hand, may have been the source of the abundant jade objects in
the inner chambers of these tombs — shrouds, sword fittings and weapons, vessels, pectorals,
and other ornaments. Some of the material for objects may have originated in eastern China —
in particular, the Neolithic burials of the Liangzhu culture. 5 A jade tube (cong) incorporated
into Liu Sheng's jade shroud is one such Neolithic piece, and other ancient objects may have
been recut to make the plaques of the shrouds.
The contents of the tombs suggest that the Han viewed the universe as filled with spirits of
every kind — some of which could be summoned in trances induced by wine and incense, others
through music and dance. Later Han tombs depict these deities and spirits, including the animals
of the Four Directions, the Queen Mother of the West, Nu Wa, the creator of the world, and
her companion, Fu Xi, as well as the creatures associated with the sun and the moon. The tombs
thus appear to represent efforts to create microcosms of the universe for the benefit of the tomb
occupants in order to ensure their prosperous afterlives. The tomb was not simply a waystation in
the journey to paradise but rather an end in itself—the dwelling in the afterlife. JR
1 For the archaeological report of the tomb of the King of 4 The spirits and monsters at the periphery of the universe
Nanyue, see Guangzhou 1991. See also Lam 1991 and
are vividly described in the poem "Summons of the Soul"
Priich 1998.
in the famous early anthology Chu ci (Songs of Chu)
2 See Huang 1998,11-34. dating to the Late Eastern Zhou and Han periods. See
3 The changes described here are discussed more fully in Hawkes 1985, 219 - 231.
Rawson forthcoming. 5 See cats. 29-36.
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