Tomb of Xiguo Bao

Tomb of Xiguo Bao

On April 23, 1985, the Lianyungang Museum excavated a mid- to late Western Han Dynasty tomb at Huangshiya in Taowan Village, Jinping District, Lianyungang City. The tomb owner was surnamed Xiguo and named Bao.

The Tomb of Xiguo Bao is a vertical pit earth tomb with a wooden outer coffin. Bamboo mats were still preserved on top of the coffin boards. Between the coffin lid and the outer coffin lid, there was a 3 cm thick layer of wooden board. The coffin itself was rectangular, hollowed out from a single piece of wood, with both the interior and exterior coated in lacquer—the exterior black and the interior vermilion.

More than 50 burial objects were unearthed, most of which were well preserved. Based on material, they can be divided into lacquerware, woodenware, bamboo ware, and metalware. Among the lacquered and wooden items, eight wooden figurines were exquisitely carved, with two female attendant figurines being particularly representative.

Beside the head of the tomb owner, two name cards (名谒) and two funerary inventories (遣策) were unearthed. The name cards and inventories were the same size, measuring 21.5 cm in length, 6.5 cm in width, and 0.8 cm in thickness. The name cards were made of wood, inscribed with three lines of 14 clerical script characters in ink: “东海太守宝再拜足下西郭子笔” and “东海太守宝再拜谒西郭子笔”. Name cards have been found in tombs before, but ones that are so well-preserved, exquisitely crafted, and from such an early period are extremely rare. From the content of the name cards, we know that the tomb owner was the Governor of Donghai. Among the burial objects was also a seal, made of bronze with a bridge-shaped knob, 1.8 cm in height and 1.5 cm per side, bearing the three characters “西郭宝” in raised seal script.

The Tomb of Xiguo Bao shares the same characteristics as other Western Han wooden coffin tombs previously excavated in the Lianyungang area, and some of the burial objects are also very similar. In particular, items such as bronze mirrors, wuzhu coins, lacquerware, and wooden figurines exhibit distinct stylistic features of the time, indicating that the Tomb of Xiguo Bao indeed dates to the mid- to late Western Han Dynasty.

The remains of the tomb owner were examined by the Shanghai Natural History Museum: male, approximately 25 years old, likely dying prematurely due to illness or other causes.

Most of the burial objects were found in the side chamber, which was located outside the outer coffin—a phenomenon that had not been seen before in the Lianyungang area.