长沙马王堆汉墓遗址英文导游词

长沙马王堆汉墓遗址英文导游词

　　From 1972 to early 1974, Chinese archaeological workers excavated three tombs of the Western Han Dynasty at Mawangdui and achieved tremendous results which attracted attention at home and abroad. The more than3,000 cultural relics and a well-preserved female corpse unearthed from the tombs are of great value in studying the politics, economy, military, affairs, culture, science and technology of the early Western Han period.

　　Mawangdui is located in the eastern outskirts of Changsha, about four kilometers from the center of the city. For centuries it was said that King Mayin of Chu of the Five Dynasties period was buried here and hence the name “Mawangdui”. Formerly there were two earthen mounds closely linked together in the shape of a horse saddle, thus it also called “Maandui”. In some historical documents it was called “Erfeimu”, and “Shuangnvfen”. It was said that Lady Tang, the mother of Liufa, Prince Din of Changsha in the early Han, and another imperial concubine, Lady Cheng, were buried here. Yet another record said that these were the tombs of Prince Liufa and his mother Lady Tang.

　　The opinions about who was buried here varied widely and the truth did not come out until the excavations began in 1792. It turned out that there were three tombs at Mawangdui. The eastern mound was known as Tomb No.1, and the western mound as Tomb No.2. The third Tomb was located to the south of Tomb No.1 and covered up by the sealing soil of the latter so there was no visible trace of its existence. The three seals unearthed from Tomb No.2 “Chancellor to the prince of Changsha”, “State the Marquis of the Dai”, and “Licang” indicate that Mawangdui was the burial ground of Licang, chancellor to the prince of Changsha Stare and Marquis of Dai in the early Western Han dynasty, and his family. The historical records give Licang‘s death as occurring in the second year of the reign of Empress Dowager Liu. He occupant in Tom No.3 is believed to be his son. Unearth