King Shan Tomb Site

King Shan Tomb Site

The King Shan Tomb Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Located on the second-level terrace south of the Fen River. The 1875 county gazetteer records that Shanwang Village was the ancient Geng City, where Zhao Su, an official of Duke Xian of Jin, conquered the State of Geng for his lord. Geng was a feudal state during the Western Zhou Dynasty, said to be either of the Ji clan or the Ying clan. To the southeast of Shanwang Village lies a terrace approximately a hundred meters in both length and width. When villagers cut into the cliffs to build houses, they discovered a cluster of Western Zhou tombs. After a villager unearthed bronze ware from their courtyard, the Hejin City Museum, upon receiving a report, collaborated with police officers to recover three artifacts: a tripod, a basin, and a lid of a ewer.

Many of the bronze items in this set are missing, but based on the shapes and decorative patterns of the existing pieces, they are believed to be from the middle to late Western Zhou period. The inscription on the bronze tripod clearly mentions the reign of King Gong, which aligns with the shapes and designs, indicating that these artifacts likely date back to the time of King Gong of Zhou.

During the middle to late Western Zhou period, among the states along the Fen River in Hejin City, only the State of Geng fits the geographical context of having interactions with the Zhou king. This State of Geng was definitively destroyed by Duke Xian of Jin in 661 BCE, and there is no doubt about this. Prior to that, no other major states existed in the region. If this set of bronze artifacts is identified as remnants of the State of Geng, then both the time period and location are credible.

The inscriptions on the bronze basin and the ewer lid are consistent, both referring to “made by Zhong Dashi for Lady Meng Ji…” indicating that this set of bronzes was crafted by a ruler or noble for his wife, who bore the Ji surname—a member of the Zhou royal family—suggesting that the nobleman or ruler himself was not of the Ji clan. If this nobleman was indeed the Lord of Geng, then the State of Geng was not of the Ji clan. Historical texts indicate that the State of Geng was of the Ying clan, possibly forming a long-standing marital alliance with the Zhou royal house.

This set of bronze artifacts provides valuable physical and new textual materials for the study of Western Zhou history and the ancient culture of Hejin.

Address: Shanwang Village, Chaijia Township, Hejin City

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units