Scientists in China find extremely elaborate 2,200-year-old tomb from Chu state could have belonged to a king
- Excavation project was approved in 2019 because tomb kept getting targeted by looters
- Leading hypothesis is it belonged to King Kaolie who conquered home of Confucius
Thousands of years ago, regional dynasties dominated Chinese politics, and one of the most unique and powerful was the state of Chu (770 BC-223 BC).
In mid-April, archaeologists in China announced they had excavated the largest Chu tomb discovered to date, and it belonged to the highest-ranking official they had ever discovered, likely a king.
The tomb, excavated in Anhui province in eastern China, dates back 2,200 years and is the most complex structure of its kind.
Scientists began the excavation process in 2019, in part because looters constantly targeted the tomb.
The site contained horse and chariot pits, sacrificial burial grounds and a cemetery. One particularly notable artefact discovered was a bamboo mat.
“The weaving technique of bamboo mats is similar to that of today. After carbon dating, we concluded that the age range of the bamboo mats is from 400 BC to 232 BC,” said Zhang Zhiguo, the cultural relics protection manager of the Wuwangdun Tomb Archaeological Project, in interviews with mainland media.