Archaeology
Giant panda found in pit sacrificed to Emperor Wen of Han
Archaeologists excavating the Waizang Pit, one of more than 110 pits surrounding the mausoleum of Emperor Wen of Han, have uncovered a giant panda sacrificed as a funerary offering.
The mausoleum of Emperor Wen of Han was first identified in 2021 in Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi province, China.
Born Liu Heng, Emperor Wen of Han was the fifth emperor of the Western Han dynasty who ruled from 180 to his death in 157 BC. He was considered one of the most benevolent rulers in Chinese history by bringing about a period of stability and relaxed laws.
Recent excavations of the Waizang Pit have revealed the remains of a giant panda placed with its head facing the imperial mausoleum and its tail facing west. By comparing the remains with modern giant pandas, experts have determined that the specimen is part of the Qinling subspecies, characterised by a larger size and a more rounded face.
Similar to the Ancient Egyptians, the funerary customs during the Han dynasty had complex beliefs concerning the afterlife. They denoted the tomb as an “underground palace” (digong) and adorned it with objects and offerings thought to be essential for the soul’s journey after death.
According to the researchers: “Animal burial pits symbolise the underground gardens of the royal cemetery.” Other burial pits around the mausoleum also contained the remains of tigers, tapirs, Indian wild buffaloes, oryxes, serows and yaks.
The wide variety of animal sacrifice was seen as a status symbol for the Han rulers. Animal sacrifice was also found in commoners’ tombs but was limited to domesticated animals such as dogs and pigs.
The discovery is the first example of a complete panda skeleton being uncovered in an emperor’s burial site. In 1975, archaeologists found a panda skull within the tomb of Empress Dowager Bo, mother of Emperor Wen. However, the panda’s body was notably absent, presumably having been stolen.
Header Image Credit : Alamy (Under Copyright)
Archaeologists from Cotswold Archaeology are excavating the crash site of a WWII B-17 Flying Fortress in an English woodland.
The B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC).
The bomber was mainly used in the European theatre for daylight strategic bombing, complimenting the RAF Bomber Command’s night bombers in attacking German industrial, military and civilian targets.
Cotswold Archaeology have been tasked by the Defense POW / MIA Accounting Agency to search the crash site for the remains of the pilot, who died when the B-17 crashed following a system failure in 1944.
Image Credit : Cotswold Archaeology
At the time, the plane was carrying a payload of 12,000lbs of Torpex, an explosive comprised of 42% RDX, 40% TNT, and 18% powdered aluminium. Torpex was mainly used for the Upkeep, Tallboy and Grand Slam bombs, as well as underwater munitions.
The pilot was declared MIA when the plane exploded into an inferno, however, using modern archaeological techniques, the researchers plan to systematically excavate and sieve the waterlogged crash site to recover plane ID numbers, personal effects, and any surviving human remains.
It is the hope of the excavation team members that they will be able to recover the pilot’s remains and return him to the United States for burial with full military honours.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Defense whose mission is to recover unaccounted Department of Defense personnel listed as prisoners of war (POW) or missing in action (MIA) from designated past conflicts.
Header Image Credit : Cotswold Archaeology
Sources : Cotswold Archaeology
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
Archaeologists excavating at the ancient Tharsa necropolis have uncovered a Roman Era tomb guarded by two carved bull heads.
Tharsa is located near Kuyulu village in southeastern Turkey along the Adıyaman-Şanlıurfa Highway.
The site was situated on a major Roman highway from Doliche to Samosata, which today consists of a two settlement mounds and a large necropolis that dates from the 3rd century to the Byzantine period.
Excavations first commenced in 2021 which discovered a collection of Turuş Rock Tombs, a type of tomb construction carved directly into the bedrock.
In the latest season, archaeologists have excavated another Turuş Rock Tomb, however, this example was found to have two carved bull heads which is decorated with garlands and rosettes between the horns.
Bull heads, known as Bucranium, were a form of carved decoration commonly used in Classical architecture. In Ancient Rome, bucrania were often used on the friezes of temples in the Doric order of architecture, later influencing the architecture of buildings from the Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical periods.
Architectural examples of bucrania are representations of the practice of displaying garlanded, sacrificial oxen, whose heads were displayed on the temple walls.
Like similar Turuş Rock Tombs, the bull heads are carved directly into the bedrock, guarding a dozen rock cut steps descending into the burial chamber which has three arched niches known as acrosolia.
Mustafa Çelik, Deputy Director of Adıyaman Museum, said, “Tharsa Ancient City consists of 3 main archaeological areas: Big Mound, Small Mound and Necropolis Area. We started excavations in the necropolis area in 2024. We added 2 more rock tombs to the rock tombs we had previously uncovered. One of them is the rock tomb we identified today.”
Header Image Credit : Adıyaman Museum
Sources : Adıyaman Museum
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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