Eastern Han Tombs in Dongtantou, Tianjin

　　Located 150 meters east of Dongtantou Village. After being discovered in 1982, three excavations were carried out, uncovering a total of three types of brick-chambered tombs: corridor-style tombs, multi-chamber tombs, and single-ear tombs.

　　The corridor tomb is grand in scale and unique in design, measuring 39.7 meters from north to south and 15.4 meters from east to west. It consists of four passageways, 22 burial chambers, and a *jiaodao* (a patrol path for estate guards. As recorded in *The Book of Han*: “The King of Kucha came to pay homage several times. Upon returning to his country, he modeled the Han palaces by constructing a *jiaodao*, encircling the entrance and exit for security.”). The tomb features three passageways at the front, with the middle one being 10.4 meters long and the rear one 7 meters long. The burial chambers include a front chamber, middle chamber, main chamber, rear chamber, and side chambers. The middle passageway connects to the southern burial chamber and links the front and rear passageways. The central arched doorways of the chambers often bear ink inscriptions. The front chamber is square, with sides 2 meters long, connected to the corridor to the south and the middle chamber to the north, with arched doorways on the east and west sides leading to the *jiaodao*. The middle chamber is also square, with sides 2.4 meters long, its walls constructed with patterned bricks laid in a crisscross pattern, and the floor paved with plain large bricks. The eastern wall has two arched doorways leading to the northern and southern side chambers, which have domed ceilings. The main chamber is the largest, rectangular in shape, 3.9 meters long from north to south, 2.1 meters wide from east to west, with remaining wall heights of 2.6 meters and a domed ceiling. The floor is paved with two layers of plain bricks. The rear chamber is nearly square, 2.1 meters long from north to south, 1.8 meters wide from east to west, 2.3 meters high, with a domed ceiling. The northern wall has an arched doorway, with an ink inscription in the center reading “North Exit of the Main House.” The eastern and western walls have arched doorways leading to the *jiaodao*, each with ink inscriptions in the center reading “Eastern Entrance to the *Jiaodao*” and “Western Entrance to the *Jiaodao*,” respectively. The *jiaodao* surrounds the burial chambers, resembling a corridor, with a perimeter of 49.8 meters and a width of 75–80 centimeters. Its walls are built with interlocking plain bricks, and along its length are 14 small domed chambers, 1.7–2.2 meters high, evenly distributed. The tomb uses high-quality materials: the plain blue bricks used for the walls are sturdy and well-fired; the arched doorways and domed ceilings are built with wedge-shaped bricks; the wall and doorway bricks feature diamond and stud patterns, with some areas painted in black, red, and white. All brick walls are constructed using a crisscross technique, with gaps filled with white lime mortar.
　　

　　 Jinghai County, Tianjin