Image of Confucius Found in Western Han Dynasty Tomb

NANCHANG, CHINA—China Daily reports that a polished bronze mirror measuring around three feet tall has been recovered from the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun, who was deposed after a 27-day reign as emperor of China in 74 B.C. The mirror’s wooden cover bears what may be the earliest-known image of the philosopher Confucius, who lived from 551 to 479 B.C., and two of his students. Head excavator Yang Jun of the Jiangxi Institute of Cultural Relics said the cover also bears nearly 2,000 Chinese characters written in ink. The text, thought to have been painted by the marquis’ teachers, tells stories of Confucius not recorded in other documents dating to the Western Han Dynasty. The mounted mirror is thought to have been used by the marquis as a folding screen. For more, go to “China’s Legendary Flood.”