Trove of 2,000-Year-Old Bronze Mirrors Found in Ancient Chinese Cemetery
Archaeologists conducting excavations at a cemetery in northwest China have found more than 80 roughly 2,000-year-old bronze mirrors. Often cast from clay models, bronze mirrors had a polished side and a reverse decorated in patterns. The earliest of these artifacts included motifs such as birds, dragons and serpents. Later, artisans crafted mirrors featuring deities, mythological figures, abstract patterns and inscriptions. Many contained wishes for good luck. Some mirrors were also inlaid with jade, turquoise and mother-of-pearl.
Ranging in diameter from 3 to 9 inches, many of the artifacts are well preserved. One is still able to reflect images clearly. State-run news agency Xinhau reports that most of the mirrors date to between the Warring States Period of 475 to 221 B.C. and the late Western Han dynasty, which ended around 9 A.D.
According to Xinhau, the tombs probably belonged to Han elite. Historical records show that the dynasty’s founder, Liu Bang, later known as Gaozu, created a residence for members of the nobility near the cemetery to aid the construction and servicing of the imperial mausoleum. Born into a peasant family in 256 B.C., Liu Bang became a rebel military leader following the death of Qin Emperor Qin Shi Huang, founder of the first unified Chinese empire. Liu Bang defeated his opponents in a civil war, becoming ruler of China in 202 B.C. and establishing a dynasty that lasted for centuries.
Per the Metropolitan Museum of Art, mirrors were common grave goods in Han China, as their reflective surfaces were thought “to bring life and light into the darkness of the tomb.” The History Blog reports that the inscriptions on the newly discovered mirrors include phrases like “Eternal Joy,” “Family Wealth” and “Long Memory,” as well as geometric and floral motifs.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/2000-year-old-bronze-mirrors-found-china-180977534/