A Chinese Lord Is Buried with a Set of 65 Bronze Bells

In 1977, soldiers carrying out construction work in Suizhou, located in modern Hubei province, leveled a hill and unearthed an intact underground burial complex built around 433 BC. The subterranean structure belonged to Marquis Yi, ruler of the small state of Zeng during the transition between the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period. Covering an area of 220 square meters, the tomb was built from large wooden timbers and partitioned into four distinct chambers that reflected the spatial organization of a contemporary palace.

Marquis Yi was laid to rest within nested lacquer coffins in the eastern chamber, accompanied by the coffins of eight women. Thirteen additional women were buried in the western chamber, while the northern chamber served as an armory filled with spear tips, dagger-axes, arrowheads, and chariot fittings. In the expansive central chamber, excavators recovered a massive collection of ritual musical instruments, including stone chimes, drums, stringed instruments such as the se, qin, and zhu, and flutes, alongside an array of intricately cast bronze ritual vessels.