Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – There are deadly traps in the tombs of Chinese emperors that have not been dismantled in over 2,000 years. The tomb is known to be under a hill in central China.
The ancient tomb was never opened because it was surrounded by an underground trench filled with poisonous mercury.
Quoting a LiveScience report, the tomb holds the secrets of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, who died on September 10, 210 BC after conquering six warring countries to create China’s first unified state.
“The great hill, where the emperor is buried, no one has ever entered there,” said archaeologist and curatorial consultant for the Terracotta Warrior exhibition in New York City’s Discovery Times Square, Kristin Romey, quoted Sunday (22/1/2023).
In 1974, farmers made one of the most important archaeological discoveries of all time in a modest field in China’s Shaanxi province. While excavating, they found a life-size statue made of clay.
Archaeological excavations unearthed the palace of Qin Shi Huang, China’s first emperor famous for its thousands of life-size clay warriors and war horses, including statues of dignitaries and other animals.
Apparently, this soldier statue was made to guard the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the ruler of the Qin dynasty that ruled from 221 to 210 BC.
For nearly four decades, archaeologists have excavated the site. So far, they have unearthed some 2,000 statues of soldiers, but experts estimate the total is over 8,000.
“They will dig there for centuries,” predicts Romey.
However, scientists have never touched the central tomb, which houses a palace containing Qin Shi Huang’s body.
“Partly out of respect for the emperor, but they also realized that no one in today’s world has the technology to go in and dig properly.”
Archaeologists fear that excavations could damage the tomb and lose important historical information. Currently, only invasive archaeological techniques can be used to enter the tomb. The technique carries a high risk of causing irreparable damage.
The mercury ditch is another reason why archaeologists have been reluctant to explore the tomb. That would likely be very dangerous, according to soil samples around the tomb, which showed very high levels of mercury contamination.
Ancient texts say the emperor created an entire underground kingdom and palace, complete with a ceiling that mimicked the night sky, with pearls as stars.
And Qin Shi Huang’s tomb is also thought to be surrounded by rivers of liquid mercury, which the ancient Chinese believed could make them attain immortality.
“It’s kind of ironic. It’s possible he died from ingesting mercury. He took all the mercury pills because he wanted to live forever and it killed him at the age of 39.” he explained.
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