Dongyang Eastern Wu Tomb

Dongyang Eastern Wu Tomb

The Dongyang Eastern Wu Tomb is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Dongyang Eastern Wu Tomb (Tianzi Tomb) is located about 1 kilometer east of Dongyang Village, Gushu Town, Dangtu County, Ma'anshan City, Anhui Province, approximately 100 meters north of the Dangbo Highway, and 12 kilometers west of the county seat. In April 1988, the Ma'anshan Municipal Government

designated it as a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit, and in April 2019, the Anhui Provincial People's Government designated it as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit.

Approved by the National Cultural Heritage Administration, from November 2015 to December 2016, the Anhui Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, in collaboration with the Ma'anshan Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics, the Dangtu County Cultural Relics Management Office, conducted an archaeological excavation of the tomb, covering an area of 365 square meters. The excavation revealed that the tomb is a brick-chambered structure with front and rear chambers, featuring a four-corner vaulted arch and a domed ceiling. Despite multiple instances of looting, the tomb still yielded 181 exquisite burial objects/sets, including lacquered wooden decorative items,

women’s ornaments, chariot and horse fittings, weapons, daily utensils, Buddhist statues, figurines, mythical beast components, and coins, spanning nine major categories and made of various materials such as gold, silver, copper, iron, pottery, porcelain, stone, glass, glaze, and lacquerware.

By comparing the tomb’s structure and the green-glazed and earthenware burial items with those of contemporaneous tombs in the region and in Nanjing, Hubei, and Jiangxi, it can be determined that the tomb dates back to the late Eastern Wu period. A piece of inscribed lacquer scrap found in a looter’s pit, written in clerical script, reads: “In the third year of Yong’an, the Colonel had eight seven-inch iron mirrors and kingfisher-feather decorations belonging to Officer Xue Ji...”

In addition, two tomb bricks inscribed with the date “fourth year of Yong’an” were discovered. “Yong’an” was the only reign era used by Emperor Jing of Wu, Sun Xiu. He reigned from the first to the seventh year of Yong’an (258–264 AD).

The discovery of the “third year of Yong’an” and “fourth year of Yong’an” inscriptions indicates that the tomb was built and used shortly after the fourth year of Yong’an. The excavation showed that this tomb is a brick-chambered structure with front and rear chambers and a domed ceiling, ranking second in scale only to the Shangfang Tomb in Jiangning, Nanjing. It is significantly larger than the Cao Cao’s Tomb at Gaoling in Anyang’s Xigaoxue and the Sun Wu Tomb at Huqiu in Suzhou. The tomb’s burial objects notably include a large quantity of gold and silver ware, as well as chariot and horse fittings. The unearthed chariot and horse components not only rank first among contemporary large tombs in terms of variety and number, but many are also gilded bronze and iron pieces. Thirdly, the burial items feature exquisite craftsmanship and high artistic value, with gold, silver, and iron objects showcasing techniques such as filigree, granulation, soldered beads, gilding, gold leaf application, and gold inlay. Among the celadon wares, underglaze decoration appeared, representing the highest level of craftsmanship of the time. Fourthly, the tomb extensively uses motifs such as toads playing with dragons, dragons and phoenixes, and divine figures riding dragons, reflecting deep cultural meanings of Taoist pursuits of immortality and transcendence, as well as early Buddhist ideology.

In terms of site selection, the tomb lies to the north of the Shili Longshan Mountain range and faces the Guxi River to the south, enjoying abundant sunlight, open space, and an exceptionally superior environment.

In 2016, the “Dongyang Eastern Wu Tomb (Tianzi Tomb)” was shortlisted as a finalist for the 2016 National Top Ten Archaeological New Discoveries due to its particularly significant value for the archaeology of the Six Dynasties period, especially research on the imperial mausoleums of the Eastern Wu.

In 2019, the Dongyang Eastern Wu Tomb was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units