Ancient Fortress Han Tombs Cluster

Ancient Fortress Han Tombs Cluster

The Ancient Fortress Han Tombs Cluster is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Ancient Fortress Han Tombs Cluster in Yanggao County is located around the Ancient Fortress, about 60 li southeast of Yanggao County town. It includes 25 Han tombs on the east bank of Nanliyuan Gully, 15 Han tombs on both banks, 8 Han tombs north of the Ancient Fortress, and 10 Han tombs east of the Ancient Fortress.

The Ancient Fortress Han Tombs Cluster is located in Gucheng Town, about 60 li south of Yanggao County town, within an area of approximately 19 square kilometers. Tomb mounds are relatively concentrated in the areas of Xujia Yao, Jinjia Wa, Danjia Yao, and Anjia Zao, with 58 tombs still in existence. These include 25 on the east bank of Nanliyuan, 15 on the west bank, 8 north of the Ancient Fortress, and 10 east of the Ancient Fortress. The burial mounds are generally 4 to 6 meters high, with perimeters of 30 to 50 meters. They are mostly well-preserved. On September 23, 1993, when the protection boundary was delineated, five tombs with looting holes were discovered. In September 1941, Japanese scholars such as Ono Katsutoshi and Mizuno Seiichi began excavations in the Ancient Fortress Han Tombs Cluster, clearing a total of six tombs over two digs. In 1943, a brief report was published introducing the excavation of three of these tombs. All three Han tombs were triple-coffin structures, featuring tomb passages and vertical shafts framed with square timber above the shaft openings. The burial objects were abundant, including bronze ware, pottery, lacquerware, bronze mirrors, hemp cloth, boots, inkstones, gauze, silk fabric, seals, and small-scale models of horse-drawn chariot fittings. Based on the tomb structure and burial items, the Yanggao Ancient Fortress Han Tombs Cluster is believed to date from the early Western Han Dynasty. In May 1965, the cluster was designated as one of the first batch of Key Cultural Relics Protection Units in Shanxi Province. The protected area boundaries were set as follows: north to the south of Xiaxinzhuang Village and Xianniangcheng Village, west to Jinjia Wa and Danjia Yao Villages, south to the north of Zhaojia Village, east to the east of Anjia Zao Village and the provincial border between Hebei and Shanxi, covering an area of about 19 square kilometers.

Gucheng Town: Gucheng Town is located on the southern side of the central hilly region, about 30 kilometers from the county town. It covers an area of 65.6 square kilometers and features a loess hilly terrain, with hills accounting for 94% of the area. It is the region with the lowest annual rainfall in the county, averaging around 360 mm per year. Coupled with long hours of sunlight, high evaporation rates, compacted soil, poor water permeability, strong winds, and severe soil erosion, the area suffers from drought in nine out of ten years, with many years seeing no substantial rainfall from planting to harvest. Crops struggle to survive like malnourished infants, resulting in consistently low grain yields—prior to 1965, the yield was only about 30 kg per mu.

After the establishment of agricultural cooperatives... Detailed information about Gucheng Town++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units