Abstract

While the ancient world is often represented by the pyramids of Egypt, China’s longer, remarkable tomb tradition should have a much more prominent place. All the fine bronzes, jades, and ceramics in our museums, which tell us about China’s past–at least down to the Tang dynasty (618–906 AD), come from these tombs. These riches were essential provisions for the afterlife of emperors and lords, the result of a long-established respect for the powers of the ancestors in the lives of their descendants. The talk will illustrate the early stages of this central Chinese tradition from the Neolithic (c. 3000 BC) to the tomb of the First Emperor in the third century BC. His immense tomb lies more than thirty metres below ground and was a triumph of engineering; his Terracotta Warriors are famous, of course. There are also remarkable splendours in the tombs of his successors, the Han (206 BC–AD 220), with jade suits for the Imperial Princes and fine silver and glass imported from Western Asia. We can follow later developments in the immense underground structures for the emperors of the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties near Beijing.