Scholars Say Burial Belonged to Western Han Dynasty Emperor

BEIJING, CHINA—Scholars say they have confirmed that a 2,000-year-old tomb in Jiangxi Province belonged to Liu He, the grandson of Emperor Wu. Also known as the Marquis of Haihun, a small kingdom to the north of Jiangxi, Liu He was deposed from the throne after serving only 27 days as emperor. “There are six pieces of evidence to prove our conclusion. The three direct pieces of evidence are letters from Liu He and his wife to the emperor, the 90 golden pieces we found between the outer and inner coffins, and a jade stamp, all of which bore his name,” Xin Lixiang of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage told ECNS. “And the indirect evidence includes Han-Dynasty official scripts we found on bamboo slips and wooden tablets, coins and porcelain and ceramics, in styles consistent with the works of that age,” he added. Some of the artifacts have gone on display in Beijing, but the bamboo slips and wooden tablets are being carefully conserved. “Those light wooden pieces are the most difficult items to clean and preserve, and they are terribly rotten. We are using the most advanced technologies on them,” added excavation team leader Yang Jun. To read more about archaeology in China, go to "Tomb Raider Chronicles."