Controversy Of Cao Cao’s Tomb Continues – Did Archaeologists Unearth A Fake Tomb?

MessageToEagle.com – Has the mysterious tomb of Cao Cao really been found or is the final resting place of this legendary ruler still hidden in a secret place never to be revealed? Did archaeologists unearth a fake tomb that was deliberately made to look like it belonged to Cao Cao?

Cao Cao, was a warlord and the penultimate Chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty who rose to great power in the final years of the dynasty. He was a man of many skills and a true a master of both the pen and the sword. Cao Cao was widely regarded as an excellent strategist, politician and poet. As many other brilliant rulers, Cao Cao is often portrayed as a cruel and merciless tyrant who according to legends was “able enough to rule the world, but evil enough to destroy it.”

The common saying in Chinese ‘speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives’ is the equivalent of the English expression ‘speak of the devil’.

In 220, Cao Cao died in Luoyang at the age of 65. Before his death, Cao Cao made a plan who and where he should be buried.

On the day of his funeral, seventy-two coffins were carried simultaneously out of the four different gates to seventy-two burial sites.

That means, there are 71 fake tombs for Cao Cao!

According to recent archaeological discovery, the real tomb of Cao was discovered in Xigaoxue Village in Anyang County, Henan Province.

It is a 8,000 sq ft tomb complex, with a 130ft passage leading to an underground chamber. When viewed from the above, the shape of the tomb is like a Chinese character “Jia”. Inside the tomb, archaeologists found a body of male and two female. They believe the male was Cao, who died at age 65 in 220 AD, the elder woman his empress and the younger woman her servant.

The science report also said that among the relics found were stone paintings featuring the social life of Cao’s time, stone tablets bearing inscriptions of sacrificial objects, and Cao’s personal belongings.

Tablets carrying the inscription ‘King Wu of Wei’, Cao’s posthumous title, were seized from people who had apparently stolen them from the tomb, the report said.

“The stone tablets bearing inscriptions of Cao’s posthumous reference are the strongest evidence,” archaeologist Liu Qingzhu, of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was quoted as saying.

“No one would or could have so many relics inscribed with Cao’s posthumous reference in the tomb unless it was Cao’s.”

Although, this tomb is officially regarded as the tomb of Cao, there still exits a controversy of the tomb’s authenticity.

With 71 faked tombs it is difficult to say with certainty that the huge unearthed underground complex is the real resting place that belongs to Cao Cao. Over the years there has been a lot of disagreement over this issue. There are scientists who are convinced the discovered tomb does not belong to the legendary ruler Cao Cao. Some even say the tomb is a deliberate fake created by the Chinese government cash in on tourism.

According to China Central Television “Anyang County government in Henan Province worked out the sophisticated scheme to boost ticket sales to the tomb, the experts charged.

The forum was convened to challenge the Cao Cao tomb, said Ni Fangliu, the organizer of the event. Too much evidence was found to be full of anachronisms, Ni added.

Several stone tablets were at the center of the dispute.

The tablets, reading, “This is what the King of Wei Wu (Cao Cao) used,” were tagged to eight weapons and artifacts. They were used to prove the graves’ authenticity. But the critics said the grammar was too modern and the tablets’ mere existence was ridiculous.

“These tablets were like illustrations of museum items. Cao Cao would not want that in his grave,” said one expert, “not to mention that Cao was not called King of Wei Wu until many years after he died.” Li Luping, an expert on calligraphy and stone scripture, said several words written on many stone tablets supposedly unearthed from the tomb were either wrong or in modern form.

See also:

• Mysterious Great Pyramid Of China: Almost Totally Unknown Even To Most Chinese
• Mysterious History Of Qin Shi Huang – First Emperor Of China
• Yungang Grottoes: Marvellous Example Of Ancient Buddhist Rock-Cut Architecture

Huang Zhengyun, a professor on ancient literature with China University of Political Science and Law, said several artifacts apparently were made with modern tools. Some of the stone tablets were cut by chain saws.”

So although the discovered tomb is still considered the burial place of Cao Cao, there is every reason to doubt its authenticity.

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