Mausoleums of Emporers of the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-8AD)
Location: Around Xi'an, Shaanxi Province
Period: 195 BC -3 AD
Excavated from 1970 to the present

Bronze incense burner gilded with gold and silver and in the shape of bamboo stick: utensil for burning incense (left, height 58 cm); Jade sculpture of an immortal on galloping horse: decorative object (right-bottom, length 8.9 cm, height 7 cm)

Significance: It has laid a solid foundation for the study of mausoleum systems for emperors of the Han Dynasty.

Introduction

Like the famous Qinshihuang Mausoleum, the Mausoleums and Royal Graveyards of Western Han (or the Western Han Imperial Tombs) are also in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. The shape and structure are about the same as the Qinshihuang Mausoleum, both being in a sharp point and a flat top, with a square cone-shaped earth mound. There is also a royal hall on the flat top, but the earth mound is much smaller than that of the Shihuang Mausoleum. The mausoleum walls on four sides are mostly of only one layer, with doors opening to four sides.

The mausoleums are the place where 9 of the 11 Western Han emperors were buried. In the graveyards, there are also resting halls and temples. Excavation of the underground hall of these mausoleums is still under discussion.