Tomb of the second Prince of State of Nanyue, named Zhao Mo, Western Han Dynasty (206BC-8AD)

Location: Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

Period: About 122 BC

Excavated in 1983

Significance: It has provided important material objects for the study of the development of the Lingnan area, which covers present-day Guangdong Province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, during the period of Qin and Han dynasties, as well as the history of State of Nanyue. 

Gold seal with dragon knob with four characters, meaning "the seal of Prince Wen": (up, side length 3.1 cm); Jade cup in the shape of horn: wine vessel (bottom, length 18.4 cm)

 Introduction

Tomb of Prince of Nanyue is located on Jiefang Beilu and excavated in 1983 in Guangzhou. It is the tomb of the second prince of the Western Han Dynasty of 2,100 years ago. The tomb, originally 20 meters below Elephant Hill, is the earliest large-scale painted stone-chamber tomb ever found in south of the Five Ridges. The tomb measures 10.85 meter in length by 12.43 meters in width, with a construction area of about 100 square meters.

The tomb is divided into 7 sections, including the front chamber, the east and west wing rooms, the main coffin chamber, the east and west side rooms, and the back storage chamber.

More than 1,000 cultural relics unearthed in the tomb are of great value, including the tomb's burial articles of a chariot swords, jade ornaments, gold seals, musical instruments, cooking utensils, bronze mirrors and silver boxes. Such cultural relics are essential to the study of the politics, economy and lifestyle of the region at that time.

Many cultural relics found in this tomb are unique. It is the earliest and largest tomb of this period found in south China, and the only one of the early Western Han Dynasty that contained murals on its stonewalls. The jade dancing figurine unearthed here is the only one of its kind using the technique of sculpture-in-the-round. A Persian silver box found in the tomb is said to be the earliest imported product found to date.