The Sanyangdun Han Tombs

The Sanyangdun Han Tombs

The Sanyangdun Han Tombs are located southwest of Xuxiang in Wuyou Township, on the outskirts of Yancheng City, about 10 kilometers from downtown Yancheng. In November 1963, the Nanjing Museum and the city museum excavated two of the tombs: the first was a rectangular earthen pit tomb with a wooden outer coffin, and the second was a rectangular earthen pit tomb with a brick outer coffin. A total of 91 artifacts were unearthed from the first tomb, mainly lacquerware; 33 artifacts were unearthed from the second tomb, mainly pottery. The lacquerware included painted lacquer cups, lacquer trays, lacquer boxes, lacquer cosmetic cases, and lacquer tables. The bronze items included bronze mirrors, bronze incense burners, bronze lamps, bronze pots, bronze wine vessels, bronze dippers, bronze brushes, bronze belt hooks, bronze mechanisms, bronze cover caps, and five-zhu coins. The iron items included stoves, cauldrons, knives, swords, and halberds. The pottery pieces included pottery pots, pottery jars, and pottery stoves. The wooden objects included clothing tallies and wooden figurines. Other items found included whetstones and inkstones.

The lacquer tray unearthed from the first tomb had gold-plated bronze rims inlaid along the mouth. Two lacquer trays bore inscriptions reading “Shanglin” and “Daguan,” indicating they were imperial items, suggesting that the tomb’s occupant may have been an official such as a salt and iron administrator stationed here during the Han Dynasty, along with his family. The second tomb was smaller in scale than the first and likely belonged to a common landlord or minor official.