The Mummy
A major attraction here is the
display of the well-preserved 2,000-year-old male corpse from the Western
Han Dynasty complete with all body parts. The well-preserved body, alongside
his internal organs, is encased in a glass case. The unusual state of preservation
is probably due to the deep burial location and well-sealed fluid mercury
filled coffin.
We viewed it by looking down
into a pit-like enclosure. The mummy and buried possessions of the Western
Han Dynasty (206–9 BC) were excavated by the Jingzhou Museum in Jinan,
the former ancient capital city of the Chu, in 1975. The buried possessions
on display included two "best in the world" relics which are a hemp skirt
and hemp shoes.
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