Ancient general Cao Xiu's tomb discovered in Luoyang

Experts have confirmed that a large tomb found in Qishan of Luoyang is the tomb of Cao Xiu, a noted military general in China's ancient Three Kingdoms Period, officials from the Henan Provincial Cultural Heritage Bureau announced on May 17.

This is the earliest and highest-level tomb (with exact date for its establishment) during the Three Kingdoms Period that has ever been discovered.

Experts said that the archaeological period for relics unearthed from Cao Xiu's tomb is close to that of the same types of relics dug from Cao Cao's tomb(Another politician and general during the Three Kingdoms Period) in Anyang, and the structure of Cao Xiu's tomb also resembles that of Cao Cao's tomb.

According to the Henan Provincial Cultural Heritage Bureau, the tomb is located to the east of the Luoyan Ancient Tombs Museum that is composed of royal tombs of the Chinese Eastern Han Dynasty or in the southeastern side of Sanshilipu Village in Songzhuang Township, Mengjin County, Luoyang.

Despite multiple tomb robberies in the past, plenty of precious cultural relics have been unearthed, including a 2 centimeter square bronze seal found in a back chamber of the tomb. The seal is engraved with Cao Xiu's name written in seal script and was proven to be his private seal.

The discovery of the bronze seal has provided exact evidence to identify the occupant of the tomb. On May 16, 2010, experts confirmed that the occupant of the tomb was Cao Xiu, a famed general during the Three Kingdoms Period. Although Cao Xiu's tomb is large in size, there were no grave mounds or mausoleums above the grave and funerary objects found were mostly pottery, which conformed to the economical burial customs during the period.

Li Ping, director of the Historical Association of Wei-Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasty of China, said that Cao Xiu was a clansman of Cao Cao's family and had no blood relationship with Cao Cao. According to historical documents, as a famous general of the Kingdom of Wei, Cao Xiu was once praised by Cao Cao as “the stallion of the Cao Cao Family.”

Cao Xiu's date of birth was unknown and he died in Luoyang in 228 A.D., only two years after the death of Cao Pi, Weiwen Emperor of the Kingdom of Wei, and only eight years after the death of Weiwu Emperor Cao Cao.

By People's Daily Online