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Warning: This blog contains pictures and information about mummies that may be unsuitable to those sensitive to that topic. We write about this with the utmost respect to the cultures, religions and people included in these posts.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Han Society and Lady Dai's Life by Sara

Lady Dai lived in a prosperous period of China's history. After a long period of unceasing war and the brief dynasty of Qin (221-206BC), the ruler of the Han's clan won a civil war, which led to the Han dynasty in 206 BC. An empire arose from this civil war, over 400 years of prosperity for China's agriculture, knowledge in science and technology, commerce, military expansion, and empire building. This dynasty is divided into two periods: the former Han dynasty (206BC-24CE) and the Later Han dynasty (Kolb, 2009). After this long period, the Han dynasty was succeeded by the Three Kingdoms period in 265 CE.

China's organization during the former period

When the Han won the civil war, they decided to divide the country into nineteen feudal kingdoms. A few years later, an other emperor decided to divide the country into ten feudal states for the efficiency. For the maintenance of the order through the society the power was divided into three administrative branches: chief counsellor, grand marshal, and inspector-in-chief. Those three had the status of Lord and nine ministers for the kingdoms followed them. The ministers had the local administrative levels to take care and the economy and military was taken care of by the central government: the three lords and the Emperor. (Kolb, 2009).
During the Han dynasty, China expanded from the present-day Mongolia to the present-day southern Siberia, most of the Korea and Japan, to the northern part of Vietnam. But, as this was not a big enough territory, the cultural influence of the empire went all the way across central Asia and the Middle-East. Obviously, the Silk Roads facilitated the trades between the Western countries and Han's empire. (Kolb, 2009).
The importance of knowledge for the wealthier classes such as arts, poetry, literature, philosophy, music, painting, medicine, alchemy, and imperial cults were as meaningful as it still is in today's culture for the Chinese community. (Kolb, 2009).
For the economic organization of Han's society, iron, salt and copping were important. What stands the most important to remember is the art of the sculpture. Jade working, metal, such as gold, silver, and bronze working, textile working, ceramic sculpture, all most beautiful and fine as the others. Also the invention of paper, porcelain, compass, water clocks, sundials, astronomical instruments, the seismometer, water wheel, the hydraulic trip-hammer, piston bellows, and the forging of steel. (Kolb, 2009).

Lady Dai's life
Lady Dai lived in the former period and she was married to Li Cang the chancellor of Changsha, a kingdom of the Han Empire. Her autopsy revealed that she was an overweight woman around the age of 50 at time of death. She had a few diseases related to her overweight and her passion for food; gall stones, intestinal parasites, and atherosclerosis (the narrowing of the arteries), which probably led to her death (Wiseone 2008). Her life most have been one the easiest and finest a woman can live. According to the documentary The Diva Mummy (2004, http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/diva-mummy/), we can imagine her life full of parties and divine food; all the best, the most exotic and the finest product were part of her quotidian.
The recovery of Lady Dai was surprising in many ways. Firstly, because this area had been looted over the years so the archaeologists thought noting significant was still there to be found. Secondly, because of the richest and the finest of the artifacts and all that surround her burial. Thirdly, because her tombs was so perfectly sealed that she rested in peace until her discovery in 1972. Finally, because of her state of conservation mention in the documentary as the "world most perfect mummy". Her body remained in a similar way of a body of an individual whom just past away. Even, in a criminal forensic context, body over a few months are more decomposed than this mummy. It is still a mystery around her state of preservation; how did the ancient society preserved the body of the dead so impeccably? (Bonn-Muller 2009)

In sum, Lady Dai was a wealthy woman who lived only from luxury and pleasure. The Han dynasty was a prosperous, safe, and wealthy period of China's history. Like today's culture in China, people had to outshine themselves with Lady Dai's life and tombs it is definitely mission accomplish.


Sara Fisette

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