Heinz-Murray 2E.book

Figure 7.1 Anyang site map. This cemetery, excavated in the 1930s, con-
tained 10 large tombs of Shang dynasty kings. Figure 7.1 is the eastern section
of the cemetery. The large cross-shaped tomb (1400) is a royal burial pit (as are
1129 and 1443). All royal tombs were oriented north-south, with ramps to facili-
tate descending into the pit where the king was buried with elaborate grave
goods (all robbed centuries ago). Additional goods were piled in the ramps.
The small graves were related to the big tombs one way or another, probably
those of workers who built the tomb and/or sacrificial victims associated with
the king’s mortuary rites. Of 643 individuals that could be classified, 209 were
skulls only, 192 were bodies without skulls. There were also many horses, a few
elephants, and chariots. Almost all were young adults, male and female, aver-
aging 15 to 35 years old. The Shang clearly sacrificed live victims to accom-
pany Shang kings to the afterlife (and also perhaps to keep the location of
tombs secret). This practice was abandoned by the time of Qin Shihuang, who
made pottery effigies of his army to accompany him to heaven.