Victims of human sacrifice discovered in recent Shang tomb excavation

A 2,500-year old Shang era tomb discovered last January in eastern Jiangxi province has once again provided reseachers with some fascinating discoveries including the grisly unearthing of a burial chamber containing 47 bodies, victims of human sacrifice. Human sacrifice was a key part of Shang political and religious culture, with Shang kings acting in a role of ritual intermediary between the heavens, the imperial ancestors, and the world.

The tomb was discovered after police caught looters trying to excavate the site looking for buried treasure. One of the most impressive artifacts unearthed so far has been an ornately decorated red and black sword that lead archaeologist Xu Changqing has called “the most beautiful and best-preserved sword ever found in this part of China.”

One quibble, the National Geographic article quotes Adrienne Mayor :

Following history’s “axial age,” when sages including Confucius in China, Buddha in India, and Socrates in Greece “spoke out against the practice, human sacrifice became rare,” she said.

“Most cultures eventually replaced living sacrificial victims with symbolic rituals.”

But the article then adds this passage, not attributed to any scholar.

In China, however, sacrifices continued into the early Ming Dynasty, which lasted from A.D. 1368 to 1644.

January 30th, 2008

The Historical Record for January 30, 2008: An Lushan, Adolph Hitler, and Mahatma Gandhi

On this date in 757, An Lushan was assassinated by a group of three conspirators including his own son and heir, An Qingxu. An Lushan was a general of Turkic descent who served in the armies of the Tang Emperor, Xuanzong (r. 712-756). Through his connections, including a rather close relationship with Xuanzong’s favorite concubine Yang Guifei, An Lushan received many imperial favors and positions, eventually commanding an army of nearly 180,000 troops. In 755, An Lushan rebelled, driving Xuanzong out of the Tang capital of Chang’an. He was a corpulent fellow, and his obesity seems to have led to health problems, the symptoms of which suggest he may have suffered from diabetes. He grew blind in one eye and became increasingly paranoid and prone to rage, alienating many of his officials and servants. An Lushan doted on his concubine, the lady Duan who had asipirations for their young son, An Qing’en, angering An Lushan’s other son, the crown prince An Qingxu. Fearing for his position, the crown prince conspired with the official Yan Zhuang and An Lushan’s personal servant Li Zhu’er to kill his father. On January 30, 757, while Yan Zhuang and An Qingxu waited outside, Li Zhu’er

January 30th, 2008

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