Professor Nancy Shatzman Steinhardt, University of Pennsylvania, Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations
Between 2000 and 2005, three Yuan (1267-1368) tombs with dated inscriptions were excavated in Shaanxi and Hebei. The occupant painting in one of them, and a similar portrayal in a Yuan tomb in Shandong, suggest that the interred are Mongols. However, correct reading of an inscription in the Shaanxi tomb suggests that the occupants are Chinese. Based on the Chinese identification, related tombs and the implications of Chinese burial in the age of Mongolian rule are explored.
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