30-meter high building within tomb of China's first emperor?
+ - 16:19, July 10, 2007
Research discovered surrounding stair-like wallsChinese archeologists recently announced that they have discovered a building buried within the 50-meter-high pyramid-like tomb of the first Qin Emperor. A research fellow with Shaanxi Provincial Archaeological Research Institute, Duan Qingbo, who has been long engaged in archaeological research of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, said, "The building is 30 meters high, buried within the pyramid-like earth above the tomb's main portion underground. This is actually a feature of Chinese ancient tombs. We discovered this 30 meter building after conducting research on the internal structure."
Duan said that the structure is located above the tomb's main portion underground and below the pyramid-like earth. It has four, giant, surrounding stair-like walls, 30 meters above the ground and 6-8cm thick.
Building completed before emperor died
Duan added, "We have discovered many tiles in upper levels outside the east, west and north walls. The tiles accumulated near the top of the stairs. Several were found in lower levels. However, we seldom found tiles on the top surface of the stair-like wall. There is no sign of burnt clay and coal, either."
"In terms of the shape of the stair-like walls, the building's stairs may not have been constructed out of wood; only the top surface of the stair-like walls are wooden with a tile roof. However, it is also possible that each stair was built with wood and a tile roof…observing from a distance of the tomb, except for the center position, we understand it be a wooden structure with four surrounding stair-like walls consisting of nine steps each," Duan explained.
"The tall building must have been completed before the emperor died, but was dismantled just before putting in a mound of earth. The mound of earth might have been put in after the emperor was buried. The final layer of the earth was packed in. The thickness is between 40 cm and 70 cm," he said.
Building for emperor's soul to go out
Based on the long-term archaeological research, scientists have launched the 863rd archeological expedition of the Emperor Qin's Mausoleum with integrated remote sensory and geophysical technology. One of the main tasks is to verify aspects of the internal structure of the tomb using geophysical and geochemical exploration techniques.
Can people see the "building"? Duan believed that the nine-stair building was fully buried under the earth. It cannot be seen by the naked eyes, unless with the help high technology. Duan said he believed the building may have been built for the departure of the emperor's soul.
Liu Qingzhu, research fellow with the Archeological Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), said, "It is perhaps no surprise for the emperor to build this kind of strange structure, as he often thought of something out of the ordinary."
Questioning voice
Application of remote sensory technology is still in its initial stage. It is necessary to exercise caution when making scientific conclusions.
For years, the archaeological research of the First Qin Emperor's Masoleum has been fraught with controversy and mystery. Experts on the study of Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor Chen Jingyuan have raised questions on the aforementioned perspective. Calling the structure discovered by current remote sensor technology, a "building," is not precise enough, according to Chen. "In addition to archaeological research with remote sensory technology, architectural analysis is also necessary. Only by using exact scientific theories of architecture can scientists interpret the data obtained from remote sensory technology into valuable historical facts. Some researchers should not have hastened to reveal their major discovery."
According to Chen, the Shaanxi Archaeological Research Institute started to use remote sensory technology in studies of the tomb. However, because the application of remote sensory technology in China is still in its early stages; scientists need to be very cautious in drawing conclusions. He said that, in the absence of conclusive evidence, to speculate that the building was for the departure of emperor's soul, will not hold in academic research evaluation. Moreover, it might mislead future research.
Why is the mystery difficult to solve?
The mystery seems to continue, as sometimes excavating the tomb means destroying it.
The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor remains as an "unsolved mystery" to the world. Archaeologists believe that the best way to protect the tomb is to let it rest underground.
"Excavation sometimes simply means destruction," International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) President, Michael Petzet said. "The emperor's underground palace is too large. We cannot protect it if we decide to excavate." Zhang Bai, deputy director of the State Bureau of Cultural Relics said, "These cultural relics have been buried in the tomb for more than 1,000 years. If they are excavated and exposed to sunlight, oxygen or other gases, they will change immediately. Some of these changes are uncontrollable in terms of heritage."
The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor is about 50 meters high. The distance between the south and north end of the base is 350 meters long; and the east and west, 345 meters long. It has a perimeter f 1,390 meters, and covers 120,000 square meters in area. It is the largest tomb of any ancient Chinese emperor. Historical records indicate that the emperor spent about 38 years and used about 720,000 people to build his tomb. In the underground palace, he used mercury to simulate rivers and lakes within his territory and moon, starts above the palace. The entire underground palace is full of hidden devices to prevent intruders. A sophisticated drainage system was built within to prevent groundwater from entering the palace.
By People's Daily Online
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90782/90873/6212172.html
