Created by emma | Last printed 2/17/2016 4:05 PM
Tomb burials
Tomb burials
The Chinese from an early date buried objects in tombs presumably with the idea that these
should play some part in the afterlife. We do not know exactly what kind of afterlife was
contemplated but it seems that the Chinese envisaged a life very much like the one they had on
earth, and whatever was needed in that life should be provided for in the next. There seems also
to have been some belief that sacrificial offerings would appease the spirits as well as sustain the
dead person. Buried guards and weapons might be put there to protect the dead person from the
spirits he or she might encounter.
The Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi took a full-size model army to combat his enemies in the afterlife.
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