The joint tombs of boat-shaped coffins () are tombs of the ancient Shu state discovered in

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese provin ...

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of t ...

, China, dating to the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period was a period in Chinese history from approximately 770 to 476 BC (or according to some authorities until 403 BC) which corresponds roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. The period's name derives fr ...

(770–476 BC) and the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

(476–221 BC). and apparently also occurred during the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), ...

(221–206BC). These tombs of boat-shaped coffins are on

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

's list of tentative world heritage sites together with

Sanxingdui Sanxingdui () is an archaeological site and a major Bronze Age culture in modern Guanghan, Sichuan, China. Largely discovered in 1986, following a preliminary finding in 1927, archaeologists excavated artifacts that radiocarbon dating placed in ...

and

Jinsha site Jinsha () is a Chinese archaeological site located in the Qingyang District of Chengdu, the capital of China's Sichuan Province. Along with Sanxingdui, the site is the first major discovery in China during the 21st century. It is listed on the UNES ...

Discoveries

In 2000, a number of boat-shaped coffins were found at a tomb site in central

. This tomb is believed to be royal from the former kingdom of Shu in Warring States period. The tomb measure 30.5 × 20.3m and has a depth of 2.5m. The tomb contains a total of 17 coffins and is dated 400BC. The biggest boat-shaped coffin is 18.8m long and 1.5m wide and contains a large number of cultural objects. In early 2017, nearly 200 tombs with boat-shaped coffins were found in an area as big as two

football pitch A football pitch (also known as soccer field) is the playing surface for the game of association football. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play". The pitch is typically made of natural t ...

es in the village of ''Shuangyuan'' in Dawang in Qingbaijiang district outside Chengdu. Numerous bronze artifacts were uncovered in the tombs. In 2018, it was announced that tombs with 60 boat-shaped coffins placed in four rows were found in the village Pujiang County in Sichuan. In the tombs more than 300 artefacts of ceramics, bronze, iron, and bamboo were unearthed. Also, weapons, coins, and

glass pearl Imitation pearls are man-made ''faux'' pearls. They are not to be confused with cultured pearls, which are real pearls created through artificial intervention. Materials used to create imitation pearls include glass, plastic, and mollusc shells ...

s have been excavated. The pearls were likely to be imported through the

Silk Road The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and rel ...

. The discoveries are dated to the Warring States period and the

(221–206BC).

References

External Links

missing, Sichuan UNESCO page
World Heritage Tentative List for China Tombs in China Archaeological artifacts of China History of Chengdu Shu (state)

Discoveries

See also

References

External Links