Re: Interesting archeological discovery - Emperor Qin's tomb

From: University Studies (gov-statistics_at_no.spam)
Date: 01/21/05 

Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2005 19:19:51 GMT

"Tom McDonald" <tmcdonald2672@nohormelcharter.net> wrote in message
news:ByaId.4188$yo7.3509@fe03.lga...
> JMB wrote:
> > "I.E_Johansson" <inger_e.xjohansson@telia.xcom> wrote in message
> > news:4J9Id.14943$d5.124520@newsb.telia.net...
> >
> >>"Bobby D. Bryant" <bdbryant@mail.utexas.edu> skrev i meddelandet
> >>news:csr5fk$7bq$2@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu...
> >>
> >>>On Fri, 21 Jan 2005, "University Studies" <gov-statistics@no.spam>
wrote:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>>It would be kind of hard to breathe down there though, with all that
> >>>>mercury.
> >>>
> >>>What's the source of the mercury?
> >>
> >>Written contemporary documents from the Emperor's court.
> >
> >
> > The documents are not contemporary, and do not come from the court of
the
> > Emperor in question. They were written at a later date while a
different
> > dynasty (never mind just a different Emperor) was in charge.
>
> AIUI, the document was written early in the Han dynasty,
> probably while officials of the Qin court were still around. The
> second Qin emperor only ruled a few years after his father's
> death before the Han took over, so it may well be that the
> document records events with some accuracy. I don't know the
> particulars well enough, though, to say with any certainty.
>
> I'm also not sure what the survival rate was for courtiers
> in-the-know about the tomb after the tomb's completion; or the
> survival rate for important courtiers after the Han took over.
> It is also possible that the Han account was influenced by
> political concerns, to make the empire seem mighty, but the Qin
> emperors to seem rotters. I'd appreciate any pointers to
> information on this.

An interesting point. What they have unearthed so far regarding the massive
scale of the layout and the incredible terra cotta warriors is leaning other
researchers to believe the accounts of the Underground Palace may prove
true.

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