Northern Song Imperial Tombs

Author: Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1997-08-01
Features: North Song Imperial Tombs is a relatively comprehensive archaeological survey report documenting the remnants of the Song Dynasty imperial tombs in Gongyi City, Henan Province. From summer 1992 to autumn 1995, with the strong support of the National Cultural Relics Administration and Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Administration, the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology conducted a detailed survey of the North Song tomb area, which measures approximately 13 kilometers in length from east to west and 12 kilometers in width from north to south, covering a total area of 156 square kilometers. The survey first clarified the overall design of the Song Tombs, which are divided into four areas. It then considered the contents of each mausoleum (including the main hall, empress tomb, lower hall, and accompanying tombs) and recorded the current status of various ruins and the collected artifacts. Subsequently, the clearing of the main hall of the Yongding Tomb and the underground palace of Empress Li of Yuande, the recording of steles and zodiac stone carvings found in the tomb area, the distribution and clearing of the specially built Buddhist temples within the area, and the investigation of other ruins related to the tomb area were all covered in dedicated chapters, either discussing the current status or compiling textual records. Finally, the report includes tables of the dimensions of existing building foundations, a statistical table of existing stone carvings with dimensions, a statistical table of accompanying tombs recorded in historical documents, and a list of inscriptions on tomb steles. In the conclusion of the report, the authors from Henan, drawing on a wealth of historical records, discuss the characteristics of the tomb site selection and architectural layout, the names and (phases) of the stone carvings, the three stages of the underground palace structure, and the zoning and hierarchy of the accompanying tombs. The report is extensive, spanning over 500,000 words, with objective descriptions, clear subjective explorations, and accompanied by numerous illustrations and plates, making it a rare and substantial large-scale archaeological survey report in recent years.