Songganluo Han Tombs Cluster

Songganluo Han Tombs Cluster

The Songganluo Han Tombs Cluster is a cultural heritage site protected at the Henan Provincial level.

The Songganluo Han Tombs Cluster is located south of Songganluo Village, Fukan Town, Nanle County, and is a provincial-level cultural heritage site. There are three large earthen mounds here arranged in a “品” (tripod) formation. The largest mound stands 10 meters high and covers an area of over 1,000 square meters, commonly known as “He Wang Tomb” or “Zhongdun Heap.” Both the Ming Dynasty Zhengde-era “Daming Prefecture Annals” and the “Nanle County Annals” refer to it as the Tomb of the Xuxu Clan, said to be the tomb of the ancient Xuxu people.

In 1978, cultural heritage authorities excavated and cleared a smaller mound located north of the main large mound, confirming it to be a Eastern Han Dynasty tomb. It was designated as Songganluo No. 1 Han Tomb. This tomb features a brick-and-stone structure, consisting of a passageway, tomb gate, front chamber, middle chamber, rear chamber, and four side chambers. The tomb measures 22.5 meters in length from east to west, 19 meters in width from north to south, and 5.25 meters in height. A total of 149 cultural relics were unearthed, categorized into pottery, stone artifacts, and bronze ware. The pottery items are further divided into four types: red, gray, glazed, and painted. Among them, the yellow-green glazed pottery watchtower stands out — a four-tiered, double-eaved structure that is delicate, uniquely shaped, intricately built, and ingeniously designed, providing valuable physical evidence for the study of Han Dynasty pavilion architecture. The gold-and-silver-inlaid bronze belt hook is exquisitely crafted, with patterns made from gold wire, gold foil, silver filigree, and silver strips. The hook also bears nine characters inlaid in silver wire: “Zhengyue Bingwu Ri Jun Li Gonghou” (On the first day of the first lunar month, the lord establishes dukes and marquises), making it a highly valuable work of art. Among the burial objects, there is also a three-legged stone inkstone with a coiled dragon design and an inscription indicating the year, complete with a lid, finely carved, and beautifully shaped.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites