Horses in Qin mortuary practice: new insights from Emperor Qin Shihuang's mausoleum

The horse played a crucial role in China through the first millennium BC, used both for military advantage and, through incorporation into elite burials, to express social status. Details of how horses were integrated into mortuary contexts during the Qin Empire, however, are poorly understood. Here...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAntiquity Vol. 96; no. 388; pp. 903 - 919
Main Authors Li, Yue, Wu, Lina, Zhang, Chengrui, Liu, Huan, Huang, Zexian, Han, Yifu, Yuan, Jing
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.08.2022
Subjects
Analysis
Ancient civilizations
Animal husbandry
Anthropological research
Archaeology
Bones
Ch'in dynasty, 221-207 BC
Chinese culture
Excavation
Funerals
Historic artifacts
Horses
Males
Memorials & monuments
Mortuary practice
Royalty
Selection criteria
Social classes
Social status
Symbolism
Tombs
China
horse
mortuary
zooarchaeology
China
Qin
Emperor Qin Shihuang
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Summary:The horse played a crucial role in China through the first millennium BC, used both for military advantage and, through incorporation into elite burials, to express social status. Details of how horses were integrated into mortuary contexts during the Qin Empire, however, are poorly understood. Here, the authors present new zooarchaeological data for 24 horses from an accessory pit in Qin Shihuang's mausoleum, indicating that the horses chosen were tall, adult males. These findings provide insights into the selection criteria for animals to be included in the emperor's tomb and invite consideration of questions concerning horse breeds, husbandry practices, and the military and symbolic importance of horses in early imperial China.
ISSN:0003-598X
1745-1744
DOI:10.15184/aqy.2022.72