A stone vessel unearthed in central China’s Henan Province has helped archaeologists identify the tomb of an emperor from the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 CE – 220 CE). The vessel was found in an Eastern Han Dynasty-era tomb, and is rather large at ten inches tall and 30 inches across. But what makes it important is its inscription: the date of the third year of Guanghe, or 180 CE, during the reign of Emperor Liu Hong of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Emperor Liu Hong is known to have made a mausoleum for his predecessor, Emperor Liu Zhi. Based on written records, archaeologists used to speculate that the mausoleum where the vessel was found belonged to Emperor Liu Zhi, but had no evidence to prove it. The stone vessel’s inscription gives physical corroboration to written records. Making it all but certain that its tomb is that of Emperor Liu Zhi. So far excavations have found a yard, corridor, well, path, and drainage channel as well as the stone vessel.
