Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng
The grave of the Marquis Yi of Zeng (Chinese曾侯乙 墓, Pinyin Zeng Hou yǐ mù, English Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng ), also under the name grave of the Marquis of Zeng in Suizhou (Chinese随州 曾 侯 墓, Pinyin Suizhou Zeng Hou mù, English Tomb of the Marquis of Zeng is known in Suizhou ), is an important archeological site from the early period of the Warring States Period.
It is located in Leigudun (擂鼓 墩, Léigǔdūn ), a few kilometers northwest of Suizhou (随州) (the former county Suixian ) in Hubei Province, China and in 1978 was excavated.
The find is dated to a shorter time after 433 BC. The grave contained the remains of Marquis Yi of Zeng ( Zeng hou Yi ). Zeng (曾) was a smaller state, which is already fully under the influence of his powerful neighbors, the state Chǔ stood.
From an inscription discovered in the grave of a great bell (Chinese镈/镈, Pinyin bó ) shows that they had been given to the Marquis in the year 433 BC by King Hui (惠) of Chu ( Chǔ Hui wáng ).
The grave was built of large wooden beams, it measures about 220 square meters. In the four pit coffin chambers were built, which are connected to each other only through small openings. The northernmost chamber is the smallest and contains military artifacts. The eastern chamber contained the grave of the Marquis Yi, who was resting in a set into a larger painted coffin smaller wooden painted coffin.
This chamber also contained eight other coffins containing the remains of eight women. The western chamber contained thirteen coffins containing the remains of thirteen other women. Apart from a buried middle-aged woman, the other mitbegrabenen young women presented at the age of about 13-25 years, the grave escort ( xunzang ) for the deceased dar.
The central chamber is the largest. Of the more than 7000 grave goods of the perfectly preserved set of used for court and ritual music musical instruments is extremely rare. It is an unprecedented in the history of China's ancient music discovery.
The most famous discovery in the grave is the set of bianzhong (编钟/编钟, bianzhong ), a bronze carillon of 65 bells (1 Bozhong, 45 Yongzhong, 19 niuzhong ). The bells are hung in three rows one above the other on a custom built of wood and bronze frame elements. The carillon required to play a troop of five people who brought it with wooden hammers to sound. The bells produce two different tones, depending on whether they are struck in the middle or on the edge. The carillon has a range of five octaves. The suspended with it already mentioned large bell ( bó ) does not belong to the set.
In addition, a sound stone game was (编 磬/编 磬, biānqìng, chime of sonorous stones english) discovered from 32 sound stones, one above the other hung in two rows on a rack, in addition it was found drums, a ten-string Wölbbrettzither ( Qin ), Sè ( a zither -like fünfundzwanzigsaitiges plucked instrument ), mouth organs ( sheng ) and panpipes ( páixiāo ).
The chimes and the sound stone game have all the inscriptions, the mood in question, they are more than 3000 characters.
On the over 240 discovered bamboo slips are a total of more than 6000 characters, they are among the oldest discovered to date bamboo slips and those with the most characters. A number of exquisite bronze utensils, Jade Objects and lacquer ware and many fully intact arms and flags are also a hitherto unprecedented discovery.
Chimes in the neighboring grave
1981, a less well-preserved smaller grave was discovered in about 100 m away. It contained the remains of a relative of the Marquis Yi. This grave contained a smaller chimes from sechsunddreizig bronze bells and other musical instruments.