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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