Chinese Archaeology "Mawangdui" (Essay Sample)

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Chinese Archaeology "Mawangdui"
In Changsha China, there lays an archeological site called Mawangdui, which is also known as King Ma’s Mound. The location has two small hills that hold tombs. The tombs have three bodies of people who are believed to have been from the western Han dynasty. It is said that the bodies are those of a couples, the Marquis Li Cangs, and the other is that of a young man who is thought to have been their child. This therefore tells that it was a graveyard belonging to the family. The tombs contain spectacular decorations. Having been excavated between the years 1972 and 1974, the tombs are said to have been buried for close to two thousand years. It is a very fascinating site to behold, especially as the contents remain in almost perfect condition.
There are a lot of historical relics that were retrieved from Mawangdui. It is said that the number of relics exceed three thousand. They include; silk products, potteries, weapons, herbs, silk paintings, writing material made of bamboo, books made of silk, paintings on silk, lacquer works and so many other merchandise. Most of the relics were the lacquer works. They include utensils that were used at the time, cooking ware, kettles, and even folding screens. They had beautiful and outstanding art work. They were painted using the color red and black. The potteries even had food in them. They were sealed using mud and grass, and they had names against them, indicating the kind of foods they held.
The tombs had different kind of decorations, and the products found inside varied as well. It clearly indicates that there are different classes or social status of people there. For example, the first tomb was the largest of the three. It contained different styles, work of art and distinct workmanship. Everything was very fine from that tomb; ranging from very fine silk and the coffin even had paintings of gods and animals. More relics discovered from the second and third tombs were also very appealing. The coffins were also fine. There were books and maps. It is said that the books were those of ancient philosophy, science, the technology at that time, medicine, history, and many other things that affected man during their era. The relics were a very important discovery. Everything found has attracted people from all walks of life. This is because everyone is intrigued to see how well the artefacts were preserved for that long period of time.
Studying Mawangdui has a lot of significance to the Chinese and the history of Chinese. From the relics that were discovered in Mawangdui, it is clear that even two thousand years ago the Chinese were well ahead in terms of medicine, art and had a very distinct culture and leadership. One astounding fact that has intrigued scientists from all over the world is the way the corpses were preserved. After such a long period of time, the body of the lady in the first tomb is still intact. The skin is still very soft and the joints can still move. This is a very surprising fact which shows how much the Chinese were advanced in terms of medicine. The body was not preserved like other types if mummies that have been found in other parts of the world.
An important reason for studying Mawangdui is because the Chinese would want to have the knowledge of the kind of life that the people had over two thousand years ago. It is very significant because it has helped scholars and scientists in making discoveries of the earlier way of Chinese life. The Han Dynasty were very advanced people, from the artefacts, we get to learn about their arts, medicine, weapons and many other aspects of life. This is why the study of Mawangdui is very significant.
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