Chinanews.com, Jingzhou, February 27th, title: Exploring the King of Chu's Chariots and Horses: The scale is grand and majestic
Reporter Guo Xiaoying Dong Xiaobin
In the Chuwang Chariot and Horse Array Scenic Area (Xiongjiazhong National Archaeological Site Park) in Zhangchang Village, Beichuandian Town, Northwest Jingzhou City, Hubei Province, a huge 16-meter-high mound of soil stands quietly like a hill.
The Xiongjia Tomb is the best-preserved, largest and most complete Zhou Dynasty Mausoleum of Chu Kings discovered so far. A Royal Tomb".
The main tomb of the Xiongjia Tomb and the burial tomb.
Photo by Zhou Xingliang
A few days ago, the reporter walked into the Xiongjia Tomb and saw the majestic grandeur of this royal tomb.
The Xiongjia Tomb covers an area of 731 mu and is composed of the main tomb, the tomb, the sacrificial tomb, the chariot and horse pit, and the sacrificial pit. Its grand scale and complete layout are the first tombs in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty in the same period.
The main tomb is a "Ja"-shaped vertical pit with an earth pit and a wooden coffin. The opening of the tomb is 67 meters long from east to west and 70 meters wide from north to south. The coffin chamber covers an area of about 400 square meters. It is the largest Chu tomb known so far.
The size of the tomb is about half that of the main tomb.
The No. 1 Chariot and Horse Pit of the Main Tomb.
Photo by Guo Xiaoying
There are 40 pits for chariots and horses in the Xiongjia Tomb, spread out from north to south centered on the central axis of the tomb passage of the main tomb, and arranged in a neat rectangular array.
The No. 1 Chariot and Horse Pit of the Main Tomb is the largest, with a length of 132.6 meters, a width of 12 meters, and a depth of 2.7 meters. 43 carriages and 164 horses have been unearthed.
Unlike the terracotta warriors and horses in the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang, the chariots and horses of the king of Chu were buried with real chariots and horses.
According to Jia Hanqing, deputy curator of Jingzhou Museum, the burial of chariots and horses in the state of Chu began in the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period and lasted to the late Warring States Period.
The people of Chu inherited the etiquette system of the Zhou Dynasty and adopted all kinds of things, forming a chariot and horse burial system with regional characteristics.
The Xiongjiazhong Chariot and Horse Pit Site is the largest and highest-ranked Chariot and Horse Pit site discovered in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty so far.
The horses are symmetrically placed back to back on both sides of the shaft.
Photo by Guo Xiaoying
The reporter recently saw in the No. 1 Chariot and Horse Pit that the chariots and horses were all facing west, placed in a driving position, and the horses were symmetrically placed on both sides of the chariot back to back.
Although it has been more than 2,000 years, the bones of the horses are intact, and the outlines of the wheels, carts, and umbrellas are still clearly visible.
Jade Bi unearthed from the No. 3 martyrdom tomb of the main tomb.
Photo by Guo Xiaoying
"Judging from the bones, these horses should be top-quality horses; judging from the neatness of the arrangement, they may have been poisoned and then buried." Jia Hanqing said.
According to reports, there are six horses in one car, four horses in one car, two horses in one car and other vehicles in the chariot and horse pit.
According to "Yi Li·Wang Du Ji" records: "The emperor drives six, the princes drive five, the ministers drive four, the doctor three, and the common people one".
This shows that in the Zhou Dynasty, the carriage system had a strict hierarchy, and only the emperor of Zhou could ride in a two-wheeled carriage with six horses.
This shows that the owner of the tomb surpassed the etiquette system and belonged to "illegal distribution of cars".
The restoration scene of the military vehicle in the exhibition hall.
Photo by Zhou Xingliang
Who is this king of Chu?
Jia Hanqing introduced that over the past 40 years, archaeologists have carried out three large-scale explorations and two active excavations on the Xiongjia Tomb, but no definite record of the identity of the tomb owner has been found.
According to the current policy of cultural relics protection, "do not take the initiative to excavate the emperor's mausoleum", therefore, the main tomb and the tomb of the Xiongjia tomb have not been excavated so far.
"Is the owner of the tomb King Chu Zhao or King Chu Hui? There is no conclusion yet."
Up to now, more than 3,000 pieces (sets) of cultural relics have been unearthed from the Xiongjia Tomb.
These precious heritages provide rare physical materials for the study of Chu's politics, economy, culture, ideology and military affairs, and are historical witnesses of the strength and prosperity of Chu.
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