Tomb near Xi’an airport may belong to Huayang — South China Morning Post
In China, archaeologists believe that a tomb discovered at the expansion site of Xi’an Xianyang International Airport may have belonged to Empress Dowager Huayang, the adoptive grandmother of Qin Shi Huang. More than 2,200 years ago, he united the warring states.
Archaeologists’ version
Zhao Hanqing, a researcher at the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, named Huayang the most likely owner of the burial in an article published in July in the Chinese journal Archaeology and Cultural Relics. As the South China Morning Post reports, the conclusion is based on historical records and features of the Qin State burial system during the Warring States period.
Huayang was the wife of a Qin prince. Having no sons, she adopted Yin Yiren, an impoverished hostage prince from another state, who was the father of the future Qin Shi Huang. Her husband became King Xiaowen but died soon afterward, after which Yin Yiren became king and was later succeeded by his son.
The tomb was extensively looted, so archaeologists found no objects that could directly confirm the identity of the buried person or human remains suitable for identification. At the same time, hundreds of items made of pottery, bronze, iron, jade, agate and glass have survived there.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Dating and burial complex
Radiocarbon analysis of bones from the tomb established a time range between 389 and 208 BC. According to the researchers, this dating supported the theory that the burial belonged to Huayang, who died in 230 BC.
Archaeologists began surveying the site in 2018 and determined that it contained a large tomb with a separate burial complex. In 2022, they excavated its northern part and conducted additional surveys to clarify the overall layout. Initially, the burial was considered to be the tomb of an emperor from the Northern Zhou dynasty of 557–581 AD, but researchers later concluded that it was a royal tomb of the Qin State.
Huayang’s husband, King Xiaowen, is buried in Shouling on the Xianyang Plain, 2.3 kilometers from this site. Historical sources describe Huayang as being buried together with him. Zhao Hanqing suggested that the reference to a joint burial may mean two separate but adjacent independent burial complexes.
