Archaeologists have uncovered a treasure-laden burial chamber near the Terracotta Army. Scientists believe the sarcophagus may have belonged to the son of the emperor.
Qin Shi Huang (259–210 B.C.) was the first emperor to unite the fragmented Chinese territories into a single empire. His mausoleum is the largest in the world, famously guarded by an army of over 8,000 life-sized terracotta warriors. The mausoleum took 38 years to build.
What Surprises Does the Terracotta Valley Hold?
Although Emperor Qin Shi Huang achieved much in his lifetime, his primary goal was to conquer death. To protect himself from it, he constructed a vast underground city filled with armor and weapons. He also created an army of terracotta warriors, which included infantry, horses, chariots, and various equipment necessary for battle.
Most of the imperial mausoleum, covering an area of 56 square kilometers, remains unexcavated due to concerns about potential damage from seismic activity, weather, and looters. During excavations in 2010, focused on the tomb’s foundation, a massive palace with 18 structures was discovered.
Now, archaeologists have unearthed a massive tomb filled with treasures. According to researchers, it may belong to the son of the first emperor of China—Prince Gao. After his death, he became a hero of a legend passed down through generations for over 2,000 years, recorded around 85 B.C. by historian Sima Qian.
According to the legend, Prince Gao regretted not voluntarily following his father into the afterlife. He supposedly requested to be killed and buried in his father’s grand mausoleum. However, researchers suggest that the story of Prince Gao may be fictional.
The recent discovery of a 16-ton burial chamber near the emperor’s mausoleum and his terracotta warriors may help determine whether the legend of Prince Gao is true.
In the tomb, archaeologists found weapons, armor, jade, a pair of gold and silver camels, exquisite pottery, and 6,000 bronze coins. This suggests that at least one of the emperor’s sons may indeed be buried here, or the sarcophagus could belong to a high-ranking warrior, according to Arkeonews.
What Does the Expert Say?
“After the death of the first emperor, all his sons met unfortunate ends, so I am more inclined to believe that this tomb belongs to a high-ranking noble or military leader,” said excavation leader Jiang Wenxiao.
He noted that this massive burial chamber astonished the research team. “Most ancient tombs have been looted, so we didn’t have high hopes of finding such a tomb. It turned out it hadn’t been robbed. We were surprised,” the scholar added.
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This discovery has been documented by a British-Chinese film crew. Produced by Netflix, they created a film titled “Secrets of the Terracotta Warriors,” which is set to premiere in the coming days.