Archaeologists Uncover Three Of China's Ancient Tombs | Mysteries Of China Full Series

this channel is part of the history hit Network [Music] on February 8 2001 in a downtown area of Chengdu China construction workers stumble upon a remarkable archaeological discovery experts dubbing one of the most important discoveries of the century [Music] these are the spoils found at the excavation site known as jinsha wow archaeologists find a treasure Trove of more than mere Jade and gold [Music] they uncover several burial grounds with thousands of human remains all facing Southeast you found remains human remains of young men with their hands bound behind their back was this a sign of human sacrifice who were these people discovered at the Jinja ruins how powerful was their King and why did their civilization disappear this is a huge site I am Dr Agnes Shu archaeologist and the director China Institute you guys have to capture this this is Ivory coming up I'm on a quest to solve the mystery of the lost city of tingsha [Music] [Music] the Yellow River many consider it the backbone of Chinese civilization [Music] this was China at the time of unification in 221 BCE ruled by the first emperor of ting a thousand years before that a dynasty of Kings known as the Shang ruled the Central Plain of the Yellow River for so long the Central Plain is thought to be the only birthplace of Chinese culture not anymore the discovery edging Shaw is forcing historians and archaeologists to rethink this [Music] an independent culture thrived around the same time as the Shang Dynasty this was a kingdom locked between mountains and valleys in an area known as the Sichuan basin my quest as an archaeologist is to dig deeper into who these mysterious people were and what their society was like Fair little is known about this Kingdom the people who inhibited ancient Chengdu left no written records our only knowledge about them come from texts of other rival cultures and they were called The Shoe People if you love history then you will love history hit our extensive library of 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Secrets buried for thousands of years come on the man leading this from day one is archaeologist he's dedicated most of his life to uncovering the mysteries of Ting Sha this is just all inspiring as an archaeologist to be here tell us about the discovery of jingsha says foreign [Music] thousands of artifacts a significant value Jade daggers and ornaments gigantic elephant tusks gold objects he believes this is no ordinary sight of the ancient Rule people Drew thinks this may be their sacrificial grounds I did not realize that jinxia's site is so big tell us the development this archaeological site where we are and where we're going inside um consists of more than 10 areas they include the parasite and several burial areas I'm overwhelmed with what I'm seeing here but my preliminary investigation only leads to more questions so Dr Drew was there human sacrifice here since I use a woman fashion um musician it's an intriguing question that requires me to look for more clues having come across such a huge mystery it reminds me of my childhood when I was spent hours in the dirt looking for something pretending to be a detective being an archaeologist is like being a detective in search of historical puzzles and answers to these puzzles that has always been a motivating factor for me I was a odd bird growing up in Taiwan unlike other girls I was a tomboy who enjoyed playing the dirt and I like digging things up I wanted to be an archaeologist even before I knew the term archeology when I first saw Indiana Jones I wanted to be Indiana Jones unlocking history's Mysteries is still a thrill for me in the jingsha mystery is the biggest thrill of all and this thrill couldn't get any bigger when a critical clue is found March 5th 2001 a month after archaeologists began Excavating edging Shah a discovery that shocks the world a small Stone statue about 17 centimeters tall I'm looking at an ancient face of despair look at the exaggerated lack of eyes look at the flattened mouth and His Hands bound behind his back he's kneeling in a position ready to face his tragic fate if there was a face of human sacrifice in the ancient world this would have been it [Music] 12 of such statues have been discovered eding Shah archaeologists found these statues aligned in a certain formation together with stone tigers and bronze discs what was the message that ancient people left behind to get a clear sense of what the statue meant to the Shoe People how are you I meet with Wang Fong an archaeologist who has spent decades studying shoe artifacts so Professor Wong let's talk about the Statue why is this so important to the shoe people um [Music] foreign thank you foreign statues May hint of the practice of human sacrifice but to get to the bottom of it I need to look at a very important clue human remains and here at Ting Shah there are plenty I'm in the downtown area of Chengdu called tingsha this side of an ancient Kingdom named Shu more than 3000 years ago I'm on a quest to find out if the ancient true people indeed practiced human sacrifice one clue is to look up north on the central plains of present-day anyang this was the ancient Sean capital here the practice of human sacrifice has been well documented Professor Lee is with the archaeological Institute of the Chinese Academy of social sciences he has helped to excavate on important relics from the Shang era this is a Shang Dynasty Chariot excavated at anyong The Chariot is found buried in a tomb complete with its horses and someone else is good foreign [Music] it's clear the Shang culture practiced human sacrifice but what about the shoe people experts believe they were strong cultural links between the Shang and Shu peoples the two were in constant contact if that's the case could the shoe people also have used humans to appease their gods my next Clues are these 3 000 year old human remains found in one of the burial sites what are we looking at what's so special about this particular skull that we're seeing here is a forensic anthropologist who studies bone fragments in order to understand more about the ancient Rule people so I understand you've done research also at the burial sites um can you tell us a little bit of your analysis based on the research of the human remains there well unfortunately you get a face is foreign foreign are these people the same as the people that were depicted in the statues yeah in the last few years Chinese archaeologists had uncovered several burial sites containing more than 2 000 human remains none of them though were Royal Graves but still I am convinced that these graves will reveal important clues about the shoe people and if they indeed practiced a form of human sacrifice to get to the bottom of this I need to walk among the dead and one of the first things that catches my eye the ornate objects buried alongside the Dead shoes among the Nobles of the true people it's common for them to bury their dead with highly prized objects but could that also include human capital as an archaeologist I've been trained to look for specific details as sites like these every single bone fragment counts in one of the graves nearby I see something that doesn't look quite right oh my goodness that looks like there's another another person right there there's another skeleton so that's a leg bone right there yeah so the person that was actually sacrificed Authority dismembered before it was buried underneath this man of high status foreign is obviously someone of great importance [Music] and when he was buried we can see that underneath him to his right there is evidence of human remains of another human being as archaeologists we're open-minded and we have to explore other possibilities we know for a fact that this practice had been practiced long before the jingsha culture this is a connection to the Shang Dynasty in the central plain region but I think I'm right I think we just discovered something unique to the ancient true people sacrifice object or otherwise was clearly important for to whom were they sacrificing one major clue the discovery of an artifact that stuns archaeologists I'm in Chengdu to investigate the lost city of jinsha part of an ancient culture called fool the city was only discovered in 2001. for the shoe people sacrifice precious objects or otherwise was an important part of their culture but who or what were these sacrifices for a piece of the puzzle lies here a thin gold foil no larger than 12 and a half centimeters in diameter and only 0.2 millimeters thick when it was first uncovered at the excavation site it was found crumbled into a ball it took several years of painstaking effort by archaeologists to restore it to its current state is foreign [Music] 's ancient Heritage sites based on his research he thinks the true people were culturally highly sophisticated foreign foreign this fascination with the sun is perhaps not surprising this is Chengdu on a regular day overcast and foggy for the ancient true people who heavily depended on Bountiful Harvest the sun equates to life itself without it starvation and death could become a reality now it makes sense to me the sacrifices found that jingsha may be a way for them to appease the sun god only worship the sun Wong tells me he doesn't think so he thinks their faith system was more complex than that um foreign [Music] less than 50 meters from the sacrificial Zone there is another clue that suggests this was a highly sacred site the root of an ancient Bion tree [Music] archaeologist tells me this is no ordinary tree why is this tree so special compared to other trees [Music] based on other excavation results from later period we think what they did with this particular tree was that they would decorate it with bronze Bells so when the wind blows the bells would shake and therefore creating this harmonious music that would be the music of Heaven [Music] [Music] this tree represented a connection this was their connector between the people of Zhu and Heaven in their gods [Music] today only remnants of the trees roots are left but I'm curious to know if this holy tree was also where sacrifices were made to find the answer I need to travel 38 kilometers from tingsha to senzing DUI I will examine a clue discovered at an archaeological site that predated by hundreds of years this is where ancestors of the true people once lived discovered in the late 1980s it was the seat of power of the Shrew Kingdom around 1500 BCE like Ting Sha the excavation site has been turned into a museum told one particular artifact holds the key to understanding the faith of the Shrew people a four meter bronze sculpture dubbed the Divine tree of sensindui buried for thousands of years it was an object of sacrifice Professor this is absolutely breathtaking most of us haven't seen anything like this before tell us what exactly is this foreign foreign [Music] Professor Zhao believes that the ancient people would hang sacred objects on trees to express their faith one such object is astounding not only for its sheer size but also for its bizarre look a gigantic bronze mask with large ears and protruding eyes these are the famous bronze giant masks considering how big and Magnificent the sculpture is it must have been really important to the true people what was it used for um three of these giant masks have been Unearthed like the other valuable artifacts found at jinxha these masks were also likely to be sacrificial items these masks were clearly very important to the shoe people but making them could not have been easy one way to find out is by observing how these bronze masks are replicated today Davis the salafa dance technology the Ancients who people clearly show a strong Devotion to their gods they worship the Sun the earth and the trees but one thing still confounds me who does the bronze mask represent the Ascension 3 masks with the protruding eyes and the open years in Chinese we call it tillian the eyes that can see thousands of miles the years we call jofor the years that fluttered in the wind these are auspicious facial features to describe a person could he be the king to whom the sacrifices were made or you see a shaman or you see God himself the answer May lie with the small ornate figurine found at the jingsha site the statue may only be 15 centimeters tall [Music] his large almond-shaped eyes are wide open at the back he wears a long three-stranded plate and on his head a round swirling hat [Music] archaeologists think he's an important figure in the ancient true Society could he be the king of the Shoe People the one who led his people to sacrifice precious objects for archaeologists getting all the answers from a tiny Relic isn't easy I'm getting the help of modern technology to get a closer look at this rare artifact modern technology is really amazing yes what can this technology tell us that archaeologists cannot see some relics are broken so they need to repair so after we scan you got the result you can find out which part is loosened [Music] this bronze figure appears to be holding something that's missing what could he be holding and more importantly who was he The Accidental archaeological Discovery at jingsha has revealed an ancient Chinese Kingdom that's little known to the world a key clue on earth a tiny bronze statue experts believe he was an important figure was he a Divine leader to whom the sacrificesha were made my questions lead me back to sansingway where I'm told there is a similar statue only this time size does matter to investigate further I arranged to meet with Professor jao once more in 1986 he was one of the archaeologists who helped to excavate the similar but much larger bronze statue who is he in the Shrew culture foreign what is he is the large bronze statue inside and the smaller ones in are likely to hold the same status based on the clues we have so far I know he's likely to be someone with Divine powers a shaman with a direct connection to the heavens but could he also be the king and ruler of the shoe people [Music] the Shrew Left Behind no written records what little we know about them comes from an ancient manuscript the huayang order written a thousand years after the shrew's demise the first king of the shoe people was named Hens home and it is recorded in this ancient text that he had protruding eyes feature that was unique to the Gods everything now clicks the two separate paths worship and kingship converge at this crucial clue ruler was not only a king he was also God [Music] [Music] as king and God the shoe ruler held great influence over his subjects did this translate into immense wealth for him and his people could this then be the reason why so many valuable objects were sacrificed at jingxia historically the Citron Basin has always been one of the richest areas in all of China It produced large quantities of copper silver Cinnabar and as you can see all kinds of precious stones no wonder we called this Paradise on North Rich natural resources Mark the affluence of the Citron basin not to mention the most precious of All Metals gold [Music] in 2007 archaeologists edinsha also struck gold literally foreign and most remarkably a mysterious object emerged from the ground [Music] humans a gold mask [Music] [Applause] s are an age-old cultural phenomenon shared by all ethnic groups of China masks were given the functions of communicating with Gods bringing blessings driving away ghosts and warding off diseases foreign [Applause] but a gold mask can be afforded only by the rich and the powerful could this be a spiritual object used by the Divine King did he wear it to conduct sacrificial rituals so what's the significance of this mask was it used by the Shrew King as part of the worship foreign so when he puts on the golden mask the king becomes God mind-blowing thirsty to know the extent of power the shoe god king had over his subjects I head to a site where a vital clue has been on Earth his Palace [Music] thank you the vast area of the palace indicates a wealthy King who requires a massive amount of space to store great possessions but what fascinates me the most is the numerous peripheral houses foreign was a large number of smaller houses each no more than 20 square meters in area archaeologists have speculated that these were the houses of those people who served the people living inside the Palestine it's now clear to me the Shrew kingdom was not only wealthy but also Elite and hierarchical but there's another piece of the puzzle that may just reveal how wealthy and Powerful this kingdom was for jinxia was where archaeologists made another unprecedented discovery you guys have to capture this this is the this is Ivory coming up jingsha's Discovery in 2001 rocked the archaeological world it changed the way historians view the history of ancient China I'm about to witness a dramatic Revelation at this site the world's largest cache of ivory what she's doing here is to apply a special concoction they invented here because they have to perform this type of triage to these ancient tusks we know that one of the chemicals used is protein it's a concoction to stabilize these elephant husks as they are uncovered [Music] buried for over 3000 years these Ivory are extremely brittle and have to be protected with extreme care the longest ivory piece measures 1.85 meters [Music] but why so much ivory was this the ultimate sacrifice for the Gods [Music] my questions lead me back to Professor Wong she holds a jade Blade with a strange carving this is one of the most interesting pieces I've seen with this pattern on the Jade what is it um it's a man in profile wearing a short skirt he and he wears a mask over his face and we can see that he's carrying an elephant tusk over his shoulder we believe this is a pictorial representation of a ritual that involves a shaman carrying these elephant tusks this is how we can explain this large quantity of elephant tests that we tusks that we found at the site [Music] all these pieces of the puzzle finally seem to come together the unparalleled Treasure troves of Ivory Jade and gold reveal how Ting sha was the land of great power and prosperity they were a deeply spiritual people who held on strongly to their faith but there's one final question how did their civilization disappear did you say till today archaeologists and historians are baffled by the demise of a city of such stature one Theory earthquakes destroy the city and its people in 2008 an earthquake hits the toilet it was one of the most devastating natural disasters in China's recent history over 80 000 people killed many more lost their homes these are the reminders of Nature's Wrath if an earthquake of such magnitude had also hit jingsha 3000 years ago it would have wiped out an entire people but not all experts agree retired historian and archaeologist Ling Xiang has spent a better part of his life researching on the shoe people Professor Lynn we know this area is historically known for major earthquakes do you think it's possible that earthquake was one of the reasons or a major reason that led to the demise of the shoe people foreign [Music] there's another theory that Professor Lin feels could explain the Kingdom's downfall the answer he thinks lies here 35 miles away from jingsha is sweetie song this gray body of water was both the reason to the rise of the true people but also their demise all right foreign which was a flourishing Capital at the time was completely annihilated as a result of this this deluge this was what could have happened three thousand years ago [Music] today the ground is dry largely because of the dution irrigation system that was built in the 3rd Century BCE it is the only ancient irrigation system in China that's still in use it diverts the waters and dramatically reduces the threat of floods turning Chengdu into a land of abundance and great prosperity but during the ancient shoe period these Rising Waters would have easily destroyed their Kingdom do they make sacrifices to the water to pacify it as a as a form of a deity um foreign the practice of sacrifice was likely A desperate solution for the true people and their god king facing the Wrath of the water gods Rising Waters funnily engulfed their City they had no choice but to relocate until today archaeologists do not know where the Shrew people migrated to after they left tingsha Hunt is still on in many parts of Chengdu for potential excavation sites I see workers in the field this is what field excavation really looks like this is a huge sight the moderns living with an ancient as you can see around us real estate is developing really quickly at Chengdu this is one of the few areas left in the city of Chengdu that they can carry out this large-scale excavation foreign s of years the show people have remained buried in Silence with barely any evidence of their existence on my journey I've discovered a powerful wealthy and deeply religious civilization [Music] I have no doubt that more secrets will be uncovered at jingsha but until then these Remain the mysteries of China in 1983 construction workers in southern China were stopped in their traps as they excavated a site for a new apartment building they Unearthed the entrance to a mysterious tomb dating back over 2 000 years it contained a treasure Trove of artifacts that defied the historical records the most miraculous of all was a silk and Jade burial suit befitting a mighty ruler a man that has remained a mystery until now I am archaeologist Dr Agnes Shu and I'm on the trail of an elusive ruler who once held sway over Southern China I'm investigating the true nature of his forgotten civilization and seeking to know who was this Mighty Man entombed in The Spectacular silk and Jade soup thank you [Music] guancho is one of China's most dynamic cities it's an important trading port and the economic Powerhouse of southern China but its current day's sophistication belies a much humbler past for thousands of years this region in the far southern part of China has always been known for its cuisine its beautiful mountains it's beautiful rivers and its proximity to the ocean but it was never known as the land of civilization China didn't exist as we know it in 206 BC in the north the fall of the Qing Empire Saul leobong establishing the Han Empire with its capital at changan the Han believed the mountainous region far to their South was home to primitive cultures dominated by Savage barbarians but in 1983 an archaeological Discovery shattered our perception of the southern region at a museum 40 kilometers outside guandro City a meeting archaeologist Professor Huang he was a young graduate who was sent to investigate what appeared to be an ancient tomb so after you got the call you rushed over here what was your first impression of this area what's up [Music] foreign were traditionally simple in-ground affairs but this massive tomb measured just over 10 meters in length and 12 meters in width to find a tomb of the size buried in a hill was an indication of something extraordinary Professor Huang was lowered through the roof of the Tomb he became the first man to enter this mysterious space in two millennia do you descend what did you see actually generally [Music] for the young archaeologist this promise to be the discovery of a lifetime with the tomb now fully excavated we can enter simply via the front door foreign chamber was sealed shut with a security system aimed at keeping out Intruders for eternity but we have the magic phrase foreign [Applause] defense mechanisms and the tomb's impressive construction indicated that it must have been built for someone with great wealth and power at the archaeologists excavated deeper into the tomb they made a grisly discovery bone fragments from human remains were found in several Chambers [Applause] I'm standing the very place where four women were sacrificed so that they can accompany their lord into the Afterlife forever during the Han Dynasty this custom was actually abandoned so what's so interesting about finding evidence of human sacrifice here is that we have a paradox here we have a Han Dynasty too during a time when this practice was no longer in existence in total 15 servants have been sacrificed to accompany their Master into the Afterlife archaeologists had excavated three chambers a front chamber an East and West Wing Chambers but they had still not found the main burial chamber and another sealed door blocked them from exploring while lies Beyond um archaeologists excavated and restored Relic after Relic producing a catalog of treasures and the most spectacular discovery of all was this Jade and silk burial suit [Music] in the past only the highest ranking members of the Han Dynasty were entitled to such Exquisite burial suits so who is this Han Noble barrage so far south a jade seal was discovered with the burial suit it finally identified the owner of the Tomb the name inscribed on the field was John Moore in 1983 in the bustling city of Guangzhou in southern China an ancient tomb is discovered Chinese archaeologists find an Exquisite Jade and silk burial suit fit for an emperor the man who owns this tomb is someone named John Wall and he ruled over this feudal Kingdom in the southern part of the Han Empire that encompassed today's Guangdong Province as far as Northern Vietnam in today's world the records tell us that this was a barbarian Kingdom and that they were not advanced on one hand but on the other hand we have this discovery of treasures that seem to indicate this was a advanced sophisticated culture far away from the Han Empire now which one is the real nanyu Antiquities expert Professor Chen surprisingly says the sophistication of nanya Kingdom can be found in of all places the bowels of a downtown shopping mall beneath the bargain hunters Paradise of the guanine Plaza in guandro the walls of the ancient nanyua Kingdom once met the Pearl River [Music] this is thought to be the earliest and the best preserved wooden sluice gate ever found in the world a scale model shows what it might have looked like 2000 years ago Slough skates are still used around the world to control levels in irrigation systems for its time this is amazing hydrological technology and nothing like what you would expect to find in a barbaric Kingdom back at the Museum of the mausoleum of the Nigeria King I am ready to explore deeper into the tomb beyond the first three chambers were the main coffin chamber East and West Wing Chambers and a back storage room more than 1 000 artifacts were found inside and with the help of Museum director Wu I will be taking a closer look at some of the Jade bronze gold and earthenware objects these would have caused John Wall a fortune but what did they reveal about their owner and his supposedly primitive Kingdom no it says this object is only extraordinary what does this tell us about the status of the person who was buried here soon yep foreign with something so magnificent must have been the king of a very strong Kingdom it's an ornament that symbolizes tremendous wealth and power other objects paint a portrait of a lavish lifestyle we have an entire room full of musical instruments inside his tomb what what does that tell us about this guy so it's a good night Metallurgy in the South was probably not as advanced as it was in the Han Empire and even in the north only the highest ranking High Nobles would have the privilege of owning instruments like this said of Bronx Bells I did not realize this is so special that it's manufactured here in nanyu but the inscription is your traditional Qing Dynasty shout dread It's a combination of the central plains Chinese culture but on instruments that are indigenously made you know we always think that the southern cultures were Barbarian but looking at this they were definitely civilized this was a pretty Advanced Society through what must have been an extraordinary effort to produce his bronze Bells the nanyua King was making a statement his court measured up to the sophistication and the highly cultured life of the Han and John Moore would have had the front row seat for many a performance by the finest musicians in Nigeria thank you [Music] but while the Han spurned Human Sacrifice jamur continue the ancient tradition as well as taking the lives of concubines and servants at least one of his favorite musicians was forced to follow him into the grave tonight um [Music] YouTube definitely fit for a king he enjoyed tremendous pleasure in his life and in the afterlife and there's evidence that John Moore loved his food as much as his music sharing a culinary Obsession that lives on today in southern China foreign [Music] more than 50 Exquisite cooking implements have been excavated from the nine year king's tomb cheers foreign [Music] [Music] this tomb is extraordinary when I was a student just starting out to study Chinese archeology we thought that Chinese archeology was contained to the central plains region that any place below the youngster River they were all barbarians but today I've seen out of this world Jade objects I've seen musical instruments that were made in this region with carvings of Qing Dynasty inscription and I have seen an entire Suite of cookware some of which remind me of what we use today who is this guy buried here it puzzles me how he could have collected all all the riches he lived with all these extraordinary things and he died with them find the answers I will have to search beyond the tomb of Don Moore digging deeper into the origins of the Nigeria Kingdom the tomb of Jamul the second king of nanyu is a Subterranean Palace stocked full of treasures and indulgences to provide a luxurious afterlife but John were only ruled for 15 years up to 122 BC in what was thought to be a primitive feudal state but haltihi amass such wealth the historical records suggests that he could thank his grandfather a man named jalthwa we know from records that Terror officer who took advantage of the instability in the North founded this Kingdom in the south it was in 214 BC that jaltua was sent by the Ching Emperor to conquer and unify the southern U.S tribes but in less than a decade the Qing Empire crumbled in the Han Empire took hold grabbed the opportunity to establish a kingdom extending over modern-day regions in Guangdong and guangxi provinces to learn more about jalte's Legacy I'm on my way to meet director chin of the nanyua Kingdom Palace Museum fire fire in 1995 12 years after John Moore's tomb was discovered archaeologists found jealous Palace ruins this is one of the largest Palace sites ever excavated in China spanning some 3 900 square meters um where are we exactly where we're standing in context of this layouts over there I see a scaled down reconstruction of the palace feels very familiar to me foreign [Music] to those we see in the central plains how does it compare to those in the North Washington yes but while the construction of the nayu Palace shows aspirations to match the power for Han archaeologists have found other objects that clearly outdo haunts know-how at the time and they are rewriting the history of technological development and trade in China foreign that's really eye-opening so we speculate that this technique of glazing is actually from Southeast Asia further indicating at least suggesting there was trade with the outside world in that year was innovating and trying to perfect this technology indigenously it's really amazing even more surprising is that the Nigeria Kingdom may have founded its own trade route with the West even before the opening of the Continental Silk Road I had never seen anything like this from this period they don't look Chinese to me um foreign [Music] to support or rather encourage the long-standing speculation there was trade with the outside world and this is even before the official opening of the Continental Silk Road in the North while trade with the outside world would have brought technology and economic growth it's the relationship with the powerful Han Empire that would ultimately determine the Kingdom's future negotiated with five successive generations of Han emperors sometimes by military might and other times by diplomacy artifacts found at the palace suggest that the early years were relatively peaceful images foreign died in 137 BC his grandson John Moore inherited a kingdom fit for an emperor Drew on his grandfather's Palace as the inspiration for his own tomb however some of the Tomb objects show evidence of the nanyua Kingdom's military ancestry foreign [Music] foreign foreign [Music] s were not just for show time foreign weapons sourced from the north as well as made locally and enable Force capable of raiding nearby territories indicate that job more clearly has substantial military might perhaps this gave him the confidence to produce what is one of the most striking and indeed most controversial artifacts in his tomb the spectacular Jade suit he was buried in foreign the discovery of a 2000 year old tomb in Guangzhou Unearthed Treasures that have opened a window into ancient China the most Exquisite object of all reveals the nanyua King's greatest ambition the Quest for immortality chamber where archaeologists found remnants of a broken Jade suit the Jade suit that we now know belonged to Domo is silly very different from the other Jade burial suits found before they were all stitched together with threads of gold silver or bronze foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] what's most surprising is that burial suit was ever made for jamur we're a privilege accorded only to the ruling Elite of the Han Dynasty in the central plains as the ruler of a subordinate State John was status would not have entitled him to such an honor I wondered how this burial suit measures up against the genuine article and to find out I need to make a journey John one never made in his lifetime 1 500 kilometers North to where the Han Dynasty maintained absolute rule for 400 years here we are looking at one of the best excavated example of a jade suit from the Han Dynasty this Jay suit obviously belonged to someone if extremely high status and definitively a member of the Imperial lineage there is a Chinese proverb to show off wealth and status in the ancient world and that was literally gold thread Jade suit the material of the Jade is the best of the best is why Jade from the kotan region there are about 4 300 of them here in some each was so to the next piece very meticulously by gold threads if you were plenty an afterlife then a jade suit was as essential as the space suit to an astronaut [Music] foreign buried inside a jade suit is like being buried inside an armor so that in the afterlife the person inside would not face physical deterioration Decay but more importantly that his spirit will live on in immortality this Jade suit was made for the king of true who was from the same bloodline as the seventh emperor of the Han Dynasty was the burial suit back in Guangzhou a deliberate attempt by the nanyua king to self-proclaim as royalty challenge foreign this thing must have caused an entire country to make what did he look like what kind of man was he in his lifetime all right um what happened a clue can be found in what may be a personal Pharmacy that was discovered in jammu's Tomb are these ancient Chinese medicines actually Hong um so we know the king of nanyu was sick he was sickly since childhood and he died at the age of the young age of 43. So based on this what do you think you'd be sick from um but modern medicine has revealed that a cup of John was cold and flu remedies may have done more harm than good in fact they may have been lethal ation um so what does it means historical records reveal that throughout his entire Reign John Wall used his poor health as an excuse to avoid a long and arduous journey to pay homage to the hung instead as a show of his loyalty he sent his son tensions were obviously high as drawing she was kept hostage by the hunk Court but the Han surely would have invaded if they had learned of one of the smallest artifacts found in John Moore's tomb Jade and silk suit must have been a well-kept secret for if it was known he was assuming the status of an emperor it would have incurred the Wrath of the powerful Han Dynasty and there was one tiny item found in John was tomb that had been known to the Han would have guaranteed nayun's Annihilation is [Laughter] foreign foreign [Music] [Music] State his loyalty to the Han Empire and as a result for support he ended up ruling as a feudal Lord for another 15 years until he died in the year 122 BCE after that his son who he actually had sent to the hunk Court as a hostage for many years returned to nanue and ruled for another 10 years then the great conquering Emperor haudi swept through the South and put an end to the nanya kingdom so what is the True Legacy of the kings of nanyu history books recorded that they ruled over a land barbarians but in my journey I have discovered that this was a robust civilization that made technological advances they built City walls they build palaces that rivaled those in the Central Plains Region they were trading with the outside world as well as with the central plains cultures they were a group of people that were using indigenous materials yet adopting outside technology to create a culture a technology that was completely their own this was what was so beautiful and unexpected in our journey in our learning about the ancient Nigeria Kingdom after two thousand years the secrets of the Tomb of the Jade suit have been revealed the one mystery Still Remains um I can only imagine the treasures and stories that could be Unearthed inside of where I'm standing and if childhood's tomb can be found it could be amongst the richest archaeological discoveries ever and once more we will be rewriting the history of ancient China nearly 1800 years ago China would undergo one of the bloodiest chapters of its history over 30 Million Lives will be lost as the collapse of a dynasty triggers a war for Domination [Music] the brutal battle for China has been immortalized in popular culture producing heroes and villains who have captured the imagination of generations now these stories are about to come back to life 2009 in anyong Hunan Province workers stumble upon a surprise Discovery an ancient tomb dating back to the time of the Three Kingdoms can it be the final resting place of one of the era's greatest legends I am Dr agneshu and I am an archaeologist I am on the trail of one of ancient China's most controversial figures from the desecration of the bones to investigate and separate fact from fiction in a highly romanticized Saga and to uncover the secrets hidden within a tomb of the Three Kingdoms this looks like an Emperor's tomb [Music] yeah in the central plains of China lies the city of anyong with a history of over 3000 years it is celebrated as one of China's eight ancient capitals but in 2009 anyong would find itself in Spotlight as an unexpected Discovery ignites debate workers digging for clay near the village of shisha girl on Earth part of an ancient mausoleum what they find inside the tomb rocks the archaeological world amongst the relics is a stone tablet with the inscription of whey throughout Chinese history one figure has been synonymous with this title he was Tata a historical Statesman from one of the bloodiest chapters of China's history [Music] the Three Kingdoms [Music] for over a thousand years household's historical Legacy has been divisive for some he was a brilliant Statesman for others he was a cruel and ruthless military leader who brought down the mighty Han Dynasty the discovery of a tomb that could be Salsa's final burial ground has opened up a rare window for archaeologists into the ancient past but most importantly he may give us an understanding and insight into the real man that was Tata salsa came to prominence over 1800 years ago he would command one of the three factions vying for control of all of China as the Imperial Han Empire collapsed this brutal War for Domination was fictionalized more than a thousand years later into an Epic Novel known as the Romance of the Three Kingdoms one that paints Salto as the ultimate villain who usurped the power of Heaven how much of this popular story is historical Salsa's tomb What secrets can it reveal about the Statesmen and his times to find out I travel over 20 kilometers from the city of anyong to the site of the original discovery I am meeting up with Professor pangwei Bing the head of the excavation team this is the first time that a foreign film crew has been granted access to enter the tomb site foreign foreign [Music] way into the tomb descends over 15 meters below the Earth and surface to the Crypt whoever was buried here was very important [Music] someone befitting of a king um [Music] foreign but archaeologists were also astounded by the layout of the Tomb the site is relatively unimposing but 15 meters below ground spread a Subterranean Palace instead of just one burial space there are front and rear Chambers with two side rooms and domed ceilings that extend over six meters high it's a style that is closely related to the late Han Dynasty's custom of emulating life even in depth where the size and Grandeur of an Aristocrats resting place reflects his status in life suggesting that the owner of this Crypt wielded immense power and influence but the archaeological team soon encounters a major problem robbers have raided the tomb emptying the Vault of many of its precious artifacts that could have helped identify the tomb occupant in his exact status [Music] but are there other details hidden here that could offer us more clues bricks are such ordinary things that we don't think about but in building ancient tombs especially from the Eastern Han Dynasty we know it's the basic material These Bricks amaze me because of their size they are so much bigger yes then the solid bricks that are used for ordinary aristocratic tombs we find from Eastern Han Dynasty in terms of size in terms of material and the way they are laid this is masonry par excellence in the ancient world [Music] so this is where the the main confidence foreign [Music] what we are postulating here the traces on the floor indicate to us that originally the coffin was actually positioned on top of a stone bed we have read about in ancient records emperors had their coffins rested on top of a stone bed made of slabs of stone with fine carvings [Music] that's why it's so large for centuries Salto has been vilified for usurping the power of the rightful emperor if this is his tomb is it proof that this story is true the Crypt is grander than some Imperial tombs from the late Eastern home period suggesting that its occupant wielded power above that of the Imperial throne but did Salsal really caused the collapse of one of China's mightiest Empires to find out I need to Journey back in time to the last days of a crumbly Dynasty I traveled to the city of loyang in the heart of China it is the site of the eastohan Dynasty's last imperial capital a once Mighty Empire who's collapsed many have attributed to the warlord Professor tienko Singh has been studying the city ruins over the last decade according to him the imperial capital of loyang was an icon of the Empire's power but its gwenger belied underlying tensions that were already tearing the dynasty apart um [Music] born to an aristocratic family with connections to the Imperial house TaoTao quickly rose up the ranks after successfully suppressing Rebellion breaking out across the empire but it's also really calls the final collapse of the dynasty or was he a figure shaped by his time and circumstances foreign was created as a response to the instability of the era in the same way the conditions that led the Easter Han Dynasty to its Pinnacle of power and final demise would also impact the rest of ancient China from the beginning of time walls City walls have always been the symbol of a civilization in Chinese history here we are standing on 2 000 year old ruins of the ancient city walls of the Easter Han Empire this was an Empire that was built on the foundation of a decentralized imperial power when the time that landed gentry first rose in Chinese history which will come to dominate the rest of medieval Chinese history the walls remain to show us the mightiness of the Han Empire yet the Empire is no longer here this was the cycle of a dynasty the rise in the fall the spring in autumn in 189 A.D these very walls will burn as rebellious Warlords sacked the capital city the event prompts TaoTao to move out of the capital to build his own Army and influence if the Tomb in anyong is really his final resting place What secrets can it reveal about saltal's historical Legacy and can the artifacts on Earth prove that he is the owner of the Tomb the discovery of a mysterious tomb in anyong Hunan Province has stirred controversy Scholars remain divided as to whether the Crypt belongs to 2nd Century warlord Statesman Sao Tao if the site in our young is indeed his final resting place it may reveal secrets of his historical Legacy but attempts to solve the mystery of the Tomb owner's identity have hit a Deadlock a site has been robbed repeatedly over the centuries can the remaining artifacts provide us with enough Clues Professor pengwei Bing invites me to his research lab where he and his assistants are piecing together the fragments one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the tomb comes from the kind of burial relics on Earth terracotta replicas of everyday items were left untouched as Grave robbers found them of little value but these seemingly mundane artifacts hide an important secret this collection here of these pots is the most significant in meaning after the early part of Han Dynasty in terms of funery objects to be to be buried at the rank of an emperor you would have been buried with a set of twelve so here we find exactly 12. other objects include a suite of Jade ritual items that symbolize the power of the emperor in death but there's no mention in historical records of an emperor being buried at the location of the anyang Tomb [Music] tell us about it foreign throughout Chinese history one figure has been famously known as the king of whey and he was the second century Warlord but are there other Clues hidden Within These tablets that could relate them to the Statesman this tablet says that this was an apparatus used bye to hunt tigers we have historical documents that testify in fact when salsa was young as well as his son they both enjoyed hunting and that specifically they hunted tigers but these stone tablets are not without controversy art historians have criticized that these inscriptions are too modern for a relic from that era others believe that these tablets were forged much later but Professor pun has a theory regarding the style of writing inscribed [Music] restrained the speed of of carving the speed of riding so he allowed two different styles to flourish from this point on [Music] besides being a celebrated Statesman and Military strategist Paul was an accomplished poet who innovated the Chinese writing style but while this may explain the inscriptions on the stone tablets archaeologists would soon be confounded by another mystery tomb was uncovered near anyon city in Honan Province but within the site the team finds artifacts that seem to originate from Shandong Province over 300 kilometers to the West the carving on here is absolutely Exquisite it's of such fine quality that we don't see in the Hunan area we see Stone carvings of this quality of Storytelling really in the Shandong region where in the late Eastern home period we find them throughout that area according to historical records salsa had huge influence over most of northern China but how did he achieve that the crumbling of the Eastern Han Dynasty brought widespread upheavals across China years of internal strife have devastated the Empire economically while fertile farmlands lay abandoned as refugees drifted across the provinces to escape their raging turmoil it was against this historical backdrop that household began to consolidate his own power just how did he build one of the most powerful armies in Chinese history I traveled to shuchang in Hanan Province northern China this is where Tata would begin his Ambitions over 1800 years ago I meet up with Professor maboji who has been studying Salsa's early political reforms according to him one of tata's key moves was a groundbreaking land reform known as the 2010 system soldiers were set to work converting concrete lands into Farms adding an economic element to Tulsa's conquests this agricultural system also had a dual effect of stabilizing Chinese Society so if I'm understanding correctly very beginning of this land reform dates to about 196 80. [Music] um [Music] so what was the immediate success in the long-term impact um [Music] but house house growing influence will soon attract the attention of powerful enemies in 207 A.D a rival warlord attacks Tulsa's fledgling army with an overwhelming Force threatening to put an early end to his ambitions [Music] I won 96 A.D Chinese Warlords house Hall had built up a formidable power base but his growing influence attracts The Unwanted attention of his Rivals [Music] in 200 A.D a powerful warlord Ian Shah attacks hotel from the north Yen's more advanced forces heavily outnumbers taltos Army and his fate seems sealed but in the twist of events halsau completely destroys the attacking Army using Guerrilla tactics and unifies all of northern China in what is now known as the battle of guangdu but his success was a double-edged sword his other foes across China was soon unite against him frustrating his attempts to dominate the country in the popular novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms it has been written that Salsa's paranoia about his enemies plagued him constantly influencing how he planned the site of his final resting place could this provide a clue to solving the Mysteries surrounding the aiyang tomb I traveled to handan city in Hobe Province for centuries locals have believed that the land here holds evidence of Salsa's cunning and deceit Legend has it that in order to confuse his enemies even in death salsa had ordered the construction of 72 tombs so that no one could find his final resting place many believe that the ancient tombs uncovered in this area are proof of the story but what is the truth and if these 72 tombs are authentic what does it say about the ion Crypt uncovered in 2009. so for a long time we have this legend of the 72 possible burials of TaoTao when did this Legend begins you know I mean that is sure but the Mythos 72 tombs would not be debunked until 1986 when archaeologists Excavating the sites find evidence that they date nearly 300 years after his death [Music] but if so then what about the mystery surrounding the onyang tomb [Music] archaeological Institute one of China's most protected vaults of artifacts he wants to show me an object that he believes can bring us closer to the truth [Music] on Earth in 1998 The Relic is an Epitaph of an official who lived a century after satha's death it describes the location of the owner's burial place in relation to its also's tomb so this is like a treasure map how exciting um foreign but the original landmarks listed on the stone tablet are long gone making it extremely difficult to plot out the exact coordinates of total's tomb I decide to further my investigations by examining geographical Clues found in historical records ancient documents Place tiles house tomb 15 kilometers south of the ancient city of ye the location correlates with the site of the Tomb uncovered in shishagua village in anyang County but without a second reference point it is hard to determine the accuracy of this deduction I decide to dig deeper and uncover another important clue according to the records Tata left instructions to be buried near the Temple of an ancient Statesman whom he greatly admired I decide to head out in search of this ancient shrine was a historical figure who lived during the Warring States period he is known he's famous throughout this region the ancient year City for pacifying the Water by putting an end to superstitious practice of human sacrifice and we also know from historical documents that's household respected him as administrator and for his economic policies the memorial Steely marks the site of the original Temple dedicated to the ancient Statesman shiman Bal according to ancient records salthouse tomb is approximately 7.5 kilometers east of this location I test the directions given and find myself at the entrance of the aiyang Tomb site to do is surely uh but despite the spite of some critics remain unconvinced of the tomb's authenticity if the geographical Clues and artifacts fail to offer conclusive evidence can forensic science provide the answer the discovery of a mysterious tomb in anyong China has sparked debate as to whether it is the final resting place of the ancient warlord salsao a figure who once threatened to dominate all of China 1800 years ago but now modern science May provide us with the clues to solve the puzzle deep in the chambers of the Tomb archaeologists find the remains of two women and a man can these bones prove that the tomb indeed belong to saltal the archaeological team sends the remains to three separate forensic labs and the results are electrifying um the test results match historical records detailings household's approximate age and year of death but one mystery remains forensic experts examining the bones discover that the tomb occupant fall short of the imposing stature many believe salsa possessed um foreign was in fact a man of of relatively short probably between 150 to 160 centimeters forensic science suggests that the occupant of the onion II may be talso himself but the state of the human remains triggers more questions archaeologists found that the face of the skull had been smashed into pieces leaving only the back intact was the body damaged over the centuries by grave robbers or was it a deliberate Act of desecration I decide to travel back to the tomb site to solve the mystery um the bodies were dragged out of their Chambers and damaged but archaeologists will find something even more shocking the massive coffin containing the tomb's main occupant was smashed into thousands of pieces foreign was dragged out into the outer chamber and literally ripped apart more astonishingly Professor pun's investigation reveals that this incident happened barely 50 years after the occupants burial what could be the intent behind such a meticulous Act of desecration foreign the second reason is actually quite fascinating to destroy what today we will call Feng Shui but in in pure archaeological term we call it geomancy it's too Divine by geography we see this from the desecration of the bones this is almost like a curse so that they will not have a peaceful immortality whoever was buried here was so important so powerful that those who came after him wanted to destroy evidence of his rule the act of desecration reflects a divisive Legacy left behind by its house the Romance of the Three Kingdoms an Epic Novel written more than one thousand years later describes the era as a battle between good and evil over the fate of China with TaoTao being the ultimate villain but how much fiction has been confused with history to find out I visit a shrine dedicated to one of Salsa's greatest adversaries was a general who would meet his demise in 220 A.D after being captured in battle but for centuries popular culture would paint his death as a result of Tulsa's deceit today Chinese across the world venerate guanyu as a symbol of loyalty and bravery while vilifying taltel for the General's downfall but here in srijan the guanyu temple holds a historical twist to the popular story I meet up with Professor Zhang who shares the secret hidden within this location um [Music] thank you in past heiress Aristocrats were favored for military leadership but salsa would select his officers based on Merit [Music] I have discovered one very important historical fact S Hall tried to employ [Music] this was the only time inguinal's life that he was really promoted as a supreme leader of the military but in the end guanyu was not touched by any of this acknowledging guanyu's loyal character it's also honorably discharges him but in a poetic twist of fate guanyu will play a role in South house downfall winter 208 A.D the massive Army of tasau engages with a smaller Force led by the southern Warlords and guanyu feigning surrender enemy units infiltrates house house warfleet setting his Armada Ablaze salsa will never recover from this defeat and the war for control of China will result in stalemate for nearly a century my investigation so far has allowed me to discern fact from fiction regarding China's era of the Three Kingdoms as well as uncover evidence that the anyong tomb could be Salsa's final resting place now I get a lead that another recent discovery May reveal even more secrets about the on young tomb [Music] mystery continues to surround an ancient tomb uncovered in anyong in the heart of China evidence suggests that it may be the resting place of the second century warlord Salto a man who once threatened to dominate all of China but as experts work to determine the truth another surprise Discovery fires the ongoing debate in 2011 workers building a new highway stumble upon another ancient Crypt archaeologists believe that the tomb belongs to chowshu one of taosa's nephews can this new find provide clues that was shed light on the mystery of the onyang Tomb or would it open up even more questions I meet up with Wong a young archaeologist who has been studying the site um foreign [Music] eras this is an important clue that links to sites to total's Legacy during the preceding Eastern Han Dynasty Aristocrats were buried with Untold riches for their enjoyment in the afterlife but the practice soon became a financial burden as the Empire crumbled during Salsa's lifetime to redirect precious resources needed for the wars that were spreading across the land salsa would put an end to this costly ritual but how far did this austerity Drive go to investigate I returned to the site of the ayang Tomb The Masonry and construction of the Tomb is of high quality but not extravagant suggesting a thoughtful but Spartan approach to its construction but can the details of these Stones reveal even more about the cost cutting measures instituted by Tata himself begin looking at the defaced carvings that had previously attributed to purposeful desecration not suspecting that I'm about to uncover the true extent of Salsa's reforms on burial customs Okay so these are not the ones that were desecrated purposefully by the tomb Raiders they were actually recycled so they when he used them he had them chipped had them defaced and turned them around to use them for flooring even in death talta would practice the same call-saving measures he helped to Pioneer by having his tomb built from recycled slabs together with other Clues from the artifacts on Earth forensic test results of the Tomb occupants remains and even historical records many archaeologists now have the reason to believe that this could be the final resting place of TaoTao this is one of the rare that will render an archaeologist speechless and and make us feel that our work is so rewarding but personally I am so honored to be inside the Everlasting residence of a man that I had read about as a child I feel like I've taken a roundabout Journey personally as a child who loved the Romance of three kingdoms and just reveled in the fantasy world that was created to understanding through study academic scholarship about the Three Kingdoms and realizing that here we have one of the greatest historical figures [Music] it may take many more years before we can truly confirm that this is total's tomb but the secrets hidden within this tomb will no doubt continue to impact on our understanding of the Three Kingdoms ancient China's most romanticized ERA

Channel: Timeline - World History Documentaries

Views: 374,131

Keywords: Ancient Chinese culture, Ancient cultures, Ancient dynasties, Ancient history exploration, Ancient legends and myths, Ancient ruins, Archaeological sites, Cultural exploration, Exploring the Nanyue Kingdom, Hidden treasures, Historical journeys, Historical quest, Jade artifacts, Lost cities, Mystical artifacts, New York China Institute, Secrets of ancient China, Timeline - World History Documentaries, Tomb of an emperor, Unearthed treasures, World history

Id: Rnpa4-ApezA

Length: 136min 13sec (8173 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 06 2023