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The Hengbei Pengguo Tombs

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Era: Western Zhou The Hengbei Pengguo Tombs are located approximately 1000 meters north of Hengbei Village in Hengshui Town, about 11 kilometers west of the county seat of Jiang County. The tomb complex stretches about 200 meters from north to south and roughly 175 meters from east to west, covering an area of approximately 35,000 square meters. From December 2004 to December 2007, the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology led...

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Hengbei Pengguo Tombs

The Hengbei Pengguo Tombs are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Era: Western Zhou

The Hengbei Pengguo Tombs are situated about 1000 meters north of Hengbei Village in Hengshui Town, approximately 11 kilometers west of Jiang County’s county town. The site spans around 200 meters in the north-south direction and 175 meters east-west, covering an area of about 35,000 square meters. From December 2004 to December 2007, the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology conducted large-scale excavations here. A total of 1,326 tombs were unearthed, among which 1,299 date from the late early Western Zhou to the late Western Zhou periods. Within the excavation area, 35 chariot-and-horse pits or horse-only pits from the Western Zhou period were also discovered.

Artifacts unearthed include bronze ware inscribed with the “Peng Bo” (Lord Peng) inscription and “huang wei” (elaborate funeral drapery), as recorded in the pre-Qin text Rites of Zhou. There were also large quantities of ritual and musical bronze vessels such as ding (tripods), gui (food vessels), yan (steamers), pans, he (wine vessels), li (tripod cauldrons), basins, gu (wine cups), jue (wine goblets), zhi (wine cups), zun (wine vessels), hu (wine jars), you (wine vessels), fang yi (square wine vessels), and bells. Pottery items included li, jars, dou (bean pots), basins, gui, zun, hu, amphorae, cups, and more. Primitive celadon included dou, hu, and amphorae. Other finds encompassed lacquerware, jade and stone artifacts, shell and mussel objects, bead strings, bone tools, bronze chariot and horse fittings, bronze ornaments, and bronze weapons (such as ge (dagger-axes), spears, and arrowheads).

In 2004, it was designated as a Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the Yuncheng Municipal People’s Government. In May 2013, it was listed as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.