Western Han dynasty imperial tombs

The Western Han dynasty imperial tombs

The Western Han dynasty imperial tombs (西汉帝陵; Xīhàn dìlíng) are a series of eleven imperial burial grounds from the Chinese Western Han dynasty (206 BC–24 AD) in Shaanxi Province. Two of the emperor's mausoleums are located southeast of today's Xi'an, which was then the capital of the Western Han dynasty, Chang'an,[1] and the other nine mausoleums are located in a string of pearls in an east–west direction north of the Wei River in Xianyang Prefecture north of Xi'an. The line of tombs stretches from Xingping in the west to Pingling in the east.[2] The nine burial areas can be roughly divided into three districts: the eastern one around Changling with Anling and Yangling, the western one with Maoling and Pingling and the central district around Weiling with Yanling, Yiling and Kangling.[2] There were officially thirteen emperors who ruled the Western Han dynasty. Empress Dowager Lü does not have her own tomb but is buried together in Changling with Liu Bang. It is unclear where the last emperor of the Western Han dynasty, Ruzi Ying, is buried.[3] The construction of the tomb complexes usually started during the respective emperor's second year as regent.[4]

With the exception of the Yangling tomb, none of the tombs have been archaeologically excavated.[4] The identification of the burial mounds is mainly based on texts from the stele erected in front of each grave.[4] The tombs of the Western Han dynasty became a source of inspiration for the imperial tombs of several subsequent dynasties, such as the Eighteen Imperial Tombs of the Tang Dynasty[5] and the Six Song Mausoleums.[4]

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