Tombs of Western and Eastern Han Dynasties (206BC-220AD)
Location: Luoyang, Henan Province
Period: the end of 2nd century BC - the beginning of 3rd century AD
Excavated from 1952 to 1953

Painted pottery jar: food container (height 39.6 cm)
Significance: It has established a generally reliable standard for dating tombs of the Han Dynasty found in the central plains of China.

Introduction

Tombs of Han at Shaogou are graves of the Western and Eastern Han dynasties in large scale, among which 225 tombs have been excavated so far. Supported by researches on unearthed cultural relics like bronze coins, bronze mirrors, bronze wares, gold and silver wares, iron wares, pottery and silk which were buried with the dead, archaeologists formed the reliable reference to the timetable of the Han Dynasty.