Han Yang Ling Mausoleum
The Mausoleum Han Yang Ling (Chinese汉阳陵/汉阳陵, Pinyin Hàn Yáng líng ) is the grave of Han Jingdi ( 188-141 BC), the fourth emperor of the Western Han Dynasty ( 202-16 BC. ). It is located in Weicheng District of Xianyang City, 20 km north of the provincial capital Xi'an at the Wei River near the airport Xi'an Xianyang in the Western Chinese province of Shaanxi. It is one of the "Five mausoleums " of the Western Han Dynasty.
History, location and construction
The imperial mausoleum of Han Yang Ling is the joint tomb of Emperor Jingdi ( Liu Qi ) and Empress Wang Zhi ( Xiaojing ). It was built in the period 153-126 BC on an area of 20 sq km. It is the easternmost of the 9 out of 11 Han tombs, which were designed in pyramid shape and be on the Xianyang plateau. In the center of the complex are the 32 m high Pyramid of the Emperor and the smaller Pyramid of the Empress 25 meters high. Unlike Egyptian pyramids they are dull and look like plate mounds that were built of rammed earth. The scope of the square base of the tomb of the Emperor is 670 meters; the circumference is 238 meters above. To these graves around it are 81 pits with grave goods and a total area of 7,000 m². A variety of other hills provide graves of family members, civil servants or concubines Represents the grave of Qin Shi Huang served as a model for the construction of Han - pyramids, which together with the pyramids of the Tang Dynasty a significant part of the pyramids of China.
Han Yang Ling Museum
In 1990, the expressway from Xi'an were discovered to the new airport pits with clay soldiers during construction. Then, in 1991 extensive archaeological investigations have been initiated, but so far the imperial grave mound could even untouched. Early 90s put one free 24 pits in which 40,000 clay figurines were found. In contrast to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin they are only one-third life-size, generally 62 cm high. The pits have a floor space of 96,000 square meters and thus five times the footprint of the Terracotta Army of the First Emperor of China.
The Han Yang Ling Museum was opened in 1999 and is considered the largest underground museum in China. It still stands in the shadow of the world famous mausoleum of the First Emperor Qin Shi Huang with the Terracotta Army, located in the east of Xi'an, although it already has more finds to offer and like no other museum showcases the culture of the Han Dynasty. The museum also offers a unique insight into the ongoing excavations in individual faithful pits.
In a modern archaeological exhibition hall of approximately 1,700 objects are shown on two floors. The clay figures include not only warriors but also servants, cattle dealer or an accountant. Given the long time under the earth clothing and attached to the bodies of clay movable wooden arms have become rotten. But also include different animals such as horses, cows, chickens, pigs and dogs on the exhibited artefacts. These dogs are well represented, because these probably belonged to the favorite foods of the Emperor.