Emperor's tomb had 80 horses; stallions on guard
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reza eslahi
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Emperor's tomb had 80 horses; stallions on guard
February 22, 2011
Archaeologists in China have unearthed the bones of 80 horses in the tomb of a Chinese emperor, with a series of caves each guarded by two stallions and a terracotta warrior.
Archaic horse bones emerge in Han Wudi Maoling Mausoleum, as an archaeologist clears off a pit.
Xinhua news agency reports that the discovery has rekindled an ancient legend about blood-sweating "heavenly" horses from central Asia.
The skeletons were in two sacrificial pits within the mausoleum of Emperor Wudi of the Western Han Dynasty, who lived more than 2000 years ago.
His tomb was excavated in what is now Xingping city, in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.
Archaeologists began excavating the two pits in September 2009, but had published few of their findings until Monday.
Yang Wuzhan, a researcher with the provincial archaeological institute, said each of the two pits contained 20 caves, each "guarded" by two stallions and a terracotta warrior.
He said lab work on the skeletons confirmed all were adult males.
"Scientists will soon carry out DNA tests hoping to determine the genus of the horses," he said.
The finding was likely to rekindle an old Chinese legend about the mysterious blood-sweating horse from central Asia, Yang said.
"The legend goes that Emperor Wudi offered a hefty reward for anyone who could find him a mysterious 'blood-sweating' purebred horse that was said to have roamed central Asia, but was rarely seen in China," he told Xinhua.
Today, the horse is identified as the Akhal-Teke, one of the world's oldest and most unique breeds.
Wudi left China's earliest written record of the breed, in a poem he composed for his Akhal-Teke mount, describing it as a "heavenly horse".
The horse is known for its speed, endurance and perspiration of a blood-like fluid as it gallops along. It was also believed to be the mount of Genghis Khan (1167-1227).
Wudi was best known for his opening of the Silk Road, an ancient trade route linking Asia and Europe.
Construction of his mausoleum began in 139 BC, a year after he was enthroned at 16 years old. It took 53 years to build.
The mausoleum had more than 400 sacrificial pits, more than the mausoleum of the "first emperor" of a united China, Qin Shihuang.
February 22, 2011
Archaeologists in China have unearthed the bones of 80 horses in the tomb of a Chinese emperor, with a series of caves each guarded by two stallions and a terracotta warrior.
Archaic horse bones emerge in Han Wudi Maoling Mausoleum, as an archaeologist clears off a pit.
Xinhua news agency reports that the discovery has rekindled an ancient legend about blood-sweating "heavenly" horses from central Asia.
The skeletons were in two sacrificial pits within the mausoleum of Emperor Wudi of the Western Han Dynasty, who lived more than 2000 years ago.
His tomb was excavated in what is now Xingping city, in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.
Archaeologists began excavating the two pits in September 2009, but had published few of their findings until Monday.
Yang Wuzhan, a researcher with the provincial archaeological institute, said each of the two pits contained 20 caves, each "guarded" by two stallions and a terracotta warrior.
He said lab work on the skeletons confirmed all were adult males.
"Scientists will soon carry out DNA tests hoping to determine the genus of the horses," he said.
The finding was likely to rekindle an old Chinese legend about the mysterious blood-sweating horse from central Asia, Yang said.
"The legend goes that Emperor Wudi offered a hefty reward for anyone who could find him a mysterious 'blood-sweating' purebred horse that was said to have roamed central Asia, but was rarely seen in China," he told Xinhua.
Today, the horse is identified as the Akhal-Teke, one of the world's oldest and most unique breeds.
Wudi left China's earliest written record of the breed, in a poem he composed for his Akhal-Teke mount, describing it as a "heavenly horse".
The horse is known for its speed, endurance and perspiration of a blood-like fluid as it gallops along. It was also believed to be the mount of Genghis Khan (1167-1227).
Wudi was best known for his opening of the Silk Road, an ancient trade route linking Asia and Europe.
Construction of his mausoleum began in 139 BC, a year after he was enthroned at 16 years old. It took 53 years to build.
The mausoleum had more than 400 sacrificial pits, more than the mausoleum of the "first emperor" of a united China, Qin Shihuang.