Inscriptions on the ancient tomb reveal that the dead man, who was declared emperor after his death, died and got buried as a duke. The tomb itself confirms that there was a political power struggle between a warlord and royal siblings.
1,400-year-old Emperor Tomb
It was reported last week that the tomb was unearthed near Xianyang city in shaanxi province. This is roughly 900 kilometers southwest of Beijing. It is just one earthen chamber that is roughly 10 meters deep and 56 meters long.
Based on the report, Emperor Xiamonim's remains were kept inside the tomb. The emperor, who is also known by Yuwen Jue, his personal name, is regarded as the Northern Zhou dynasty's founder. However, according to historians, the emperor was deposed and executed after ruling for a short term. In fact, it was only after a couple of decades that he was declared to be an emperor.
Epitaph inscriptions could be found in the tomb. These inscriptions were written with cinnabar paint. The inscriptions describe the man as Duke of Lueyang, which was the man's official rank when he died.
The tomb was also spotted in northwestern Xianyang where several tombs of high status at that time could also be found. There were two tombs nearby that belonged to Jue's brothers.
While Jue's tomb may have been disturbed by robbers at some point, archaeologists were able to find 146 artifacts kept inside. These items include pottery and figurines.
Political Power Struggle
According to experts, the tomb's inscriptions serve as the first physical evidence of a political power struggle that occurred during the Northern Zhou dynasty's founding. Until this discovery, the struggle was only detailed through historical documents.
During this time, China was divided into many kingdoms that faced political uproars and wars. Historians generally refer to this period as the Northern and Southern dynasties from 420 to 589.
According to historian and Chinese professor emeritus Albert Dien from Stanford University, who was not involved in the discovery, Jue was imperially installed by warlord Yuwen Hu, who was his guardian and cousin. Jue was the son of a powerful general from the Western Wei dynasty who died in the year 556.
Jue was able to ascend the throne in 557 with the support of Yuwen Hu. However, Jue ended up rebelling against his cousin's control. He was then deposed and executed after a few months. His brother, Yuwen Yu, who is Emperor Ming, replaced Jue's position.
Later on, Hu poisoned Yu and managed the dynasty through puppet rulers until his assassination in 527. The assassination was done by a clique that was loyal to another royal sibling, Yuwen Yong, who became Emperor Wu.
The emperor declaration of Jue only happened around 37 years after his death, after the dispatching of Hu. Because of this, the inscriptions on the tomb show that Jue died as a duke.
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