Lady Dai’s skin was
still soft and elastic,
her eyelashes and
nostril hair intact
when her tomb
was accidentally
unearthed182 pieces of
lacquerware100 silk garments
162 carved
wooden figurinesDuring Lady Dai’s time, lacquer was
prized by the elite. A lacquered cup was
said to require a hundred men’s efforts
and cost ten times more than bronzeA funeral banner of Lady Dai, painted
on a T-shaped piece of silk, is
believed to be the earliest evidence
of Chinese portraitureThese miniature figurines represented the
large army of servants who would tend to
her needs in the after worldThe well-preserved mummy of
Lady Dai was part of a landmark
archaeological excavation in
Mawangdui, Chinawhat was FoUnD in
staples of wheat, millet and barley. It laDY Dai’s tomb?
did not help that as an aristocrat, Lady
Dai probably also had servants to wait
on her every need.
Pathologists believe that Lady
Dai’s death was caused by a sudden
heart attack, soon after having a last
meal of melons. Melon seeds, which
our bodies can break down within
an hour, were found throughout her
digestive system.
Determining such meticulous
details of Lady Dai’s life would not
have been possible if not for the past
efforts of her people. Unlike what the
word “mummy” suggests, Lady Dai was
preserved in a radically different way
from conventional Egyptian mummies.
Her body was found bundled in
over 20 layers of silk – a state that
scientists believe helped prevent
bacterial growth – and suspended in a
mildly acidic liquid within four layers of
coffins. These caskets were packed into
a large burial vault together with five
tonnes of moisture-wicking charcoal.
Sealed with a 90 centimetre thick layer
of clay, the tomb was eventually buried
12 metres underground.
The excavation site is today known as
Mawangdui, meaning King Ma’s Mound
and the artefacts found are displayed in
the Hunan Provincial Museum.. ag