Xin Zhui

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The mummy of the Marquise of Dai on display in the Hunan Provincial Museum
Silk blanket over the coffin of Xin Zhui, with her depiction during his lifetime (in the middle of the long part)
Parts of the dishes found in the grave

Under the name Xin Zhui or Lady of Dai is Chinese nobles Xin Zhui ( Chinese  辛追 , Pinyin Xin Zhui ) announced that during the Han dynasty lived and around the year 160th Died at the age of about 50 years. Her mummy has been considered one of the best preserved in the world since her burial chamber was discovered in 1971.

Life

Xin Zhui was the wife of Li Cang ( 利 蒼  /  利 苍 , Lì Cāng ), the Chancellor of Changsha State and Marquis of Dai ( 軑 侯  /  轪 侯 , Dài hóu ).

State of health and cause of death

Xin Zhui was eating poorly and was overweight; she weighed around 75 kilograms and was about 154 cm tall. The autopsy of her mummy revealed that her coronary arteries were severely narrowed. In addition, were gallstones and parasites found as tapeworms in the intestines and whipworms . X-rays show a herniated disc in the lumbar spine , which is why Xin Zhui may have had mobility problems (she is shown with a cane on a silk blanket spread over her coffin).

Shortly before she died, Xin Zhui ate food that was difficult to digest, and gallstones came off after a few hours. One of them got stuck in the opening of the bile duct and caused acute, violent pain, which, in connection with the existing circulatory stress from being overweight and the already weakened heart, led to death.

Grave and mummy

Xin Zhui's grave was discovered in 1971 by pioneers of the People's Liberation Army in the Mawangdui archaeological site near the Chinese city of Changsha . The tomb is shaped like an upside-down pyramid . The actual burial chamber is 12 meters below the surface of the earth, it was surrounded with 5 tons of charcoal and a one meter thick layer of clay . A 15 meter high mound formed the upper end of the grave.

More than 1,000 items were found in the tomb, and more than two-thirds were used by Xin Zhui's physical well-being. Food was kept in thirty bamboo baskets. Recipes indicating Xin Zhui's favorite foods were also found. Large quantities of dishes were available for meals. Small figures should represent servants.

Xin Zhui was wrapped in silk , placed in four lacquered coffins, and covered with wooden panels. Thus, the corpse was protected from air and bacteria . The innermost coffin was filled with 80 liters of an unknown liquid that could also have counteracted the decomposition. The paintwork of the wooden coffins prevented water from entering.

During an autopsy on Xin Zhui, blood was found in his veins, and his internal organs were in a state normally only found in the recently deceased. Her joints were flexible and her skin was elastic.

Publicity

Xin Zhui's mummy and items from her grave are on display in the Hunan Provincial Museum.

The story of the find and the investigation of the mummy of the "Lady of Dai" were edited in 2004 by New Zealander Steven R. Talley in the documentary The Riddle of Lady Dai .

literature

Web links

Commons : Lady von Dai  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Commons : Tomb of the Lady of Dai  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Relics from Mawangdui Han Dynasty Tombs. In: ChinaCulture.org. Ministry of Culture of the PRC, archived from the original on April 2, 2010 ; accessed on July 15, 2010 (English).
personal data
SURNAME Xin Zhui
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Lady of Dai; Xīn Zhuī (real name); 辛追 (Chinese, real name); Marquise of Dai
BRIEF DESCRIPTION chinese mummy
DATE OF BIRTH around 210 BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH around 160 BC Chr.
Place of death near Changsha , China