Chinese scholars reported Wednesday that a large ancient tomb they unearthed earlier in Northwest Shaanxi Province belongs to a high-ranking general that was guarded by hundreds of nude pottery figurines.

The Location of the discovery, Northwest Shaanxi Province, China; Source: Google Earth

The large tomb, located in Chang’an district of Xi’an, the capital city of ancient Western Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD), belongs to Zhang Anshi.

Zhang was credited with preserving stability along the western border in the Xinjiang region, China Business View reported Thursday, saying the discovery might help provide clues about the military during that time period.

It is the first tomb complex of a noble leader in the Han Dynasty, that had been intact when it was excavated in 2008, said the report, noting that tomb raiders might have broken into the tomb due to the discovery of some holes.

The main tomb is more than 60 meters long with a coffin chamber that covers an area of more than 35 meters in length, 24.5 meters in width and is 15 meters deep.

The main tomb is surrounded by six pits of different sizes, which are filled with mortuary objects such as pottery and wood figurines.

The pottery figurines, approximately 60 centimeters tall, were all naked, with some fragments of helmets, bronze arrowheads, and swords scattered around them. The organs on their faces were clear, with red lips and thick eyebrows.

“Although there are hundreds of pottery figurines, you could hardly find two identical faces,” said Shi Quanping, a local archeologist in Shaanxi.

The location of the tomb is consistent with the records of Zhang’s burial site, and giant stamps engraved “Zhang,” and “Military Nobel Stamp” were also unearthed, both of which helped proved his identify, said Zhang Zhongli, deputy chief of the Shaanxi archeologist institute.

Zhang believes that the pottery figures ought to be imagined as soldiers protecting the owner of the tomb.

“The pottery figurines were standing in formation when they were initially made, wearing helmets and armors, with a variety of weapons in their hands,” Shi said. “You can imagine the magnificent scene of such an army escorting the owner of the tomb.”

The debris from two horse-drawn carriages were found in a pit, including the bones of horses, which were buried alive.

They also found rotten fragments of a carriage, which were supposed to be granted by the emperor, Chongqing Evening News reported.

Black charcoals in the pit were well preserved, and the underpinning square bricks were laid properly, said the report.

Another tomb with a similar layout but of a smaller size was also found in an adjacent area, possibly the general’s wife, the China Business View quoted an expert as saying.

Source: Global Times