Dingtao Royal Tombs (Imperial Mausoleum)

Dingtao Royal Tombs (Imperial Mausoleum)

The Dingtao Royal Tombs (Imperial Mausoleum) are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The large Han Dynasty tomb in Dingtao is located 400 meters south of Wangzhuang Village, Zhangwan Town, Dingtao District, Heze City, Shandong Province (approximately 2,000 meters in a straight line from Zhangwan Town Government). The Dingtao Royal Tombs (Imperial Mausoleum) were listed as part of the seventh batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level in 2013.

An important archaeological discovery was made in the large Han Dynasty tomb found in Dingtao District, Heze City, Shandong Province. Archaeologists discovered a bamboo basket beneath the floor of what was initially an empty tomb chamber, containing a Han Dynasty silk robe sewn with a jade bi disk. This method of burial is the first of its kind found in China. Preliminary analysis by archaeologists suggests that the silk garment was women's clothing, and it is largely concluded that the owner of the Dingtao Tomb was Empress Dowager Ding, the mother of Emperor Ai of the Western Han Dynasty. Empress Dowager Ding passed away after her son ascended the throne, thus holding the actual title of “Empress Dowager,” equivalent to the status of an “imperial ruler.” The Dingtao Han Tomb used over 2,500 cubic meters of timber, with the cover planks, huangchang wood, and coffin wood made respectively from nanmu, hard pine, cypress, and catalpa—fully complying with the historically documented “huangchang tidui” burial system and also fully adhering to ritual standards. It provides physical evidence for the Han Dynasty’s “imperial tomb system.” In addition, archaeological experts found designs equivalent to “gates” on the southern, northern, and western peripheries of the Dingtao Han Tomb, each symbolizing a tomb passage. Together with the accessible eastern tomb passage, this tomb actually has four tomb passages. Experts explain that “four tomb passages” represent the burial rank of ancient emperors. The discovery of this silk garment not only provides crucial physical material for the study of Han Dynasty clothing but also offers significant insights into the imperial burial system of the Han Dynasty.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level