A set of 30 tombs that were surrounded by 98 horses as well as 28 chariots were discovered in Hubei in China by a team of Chinese archaeologists.

The incredible discovery dates back 2,800 years and is just one example of a practice used by high-ranking nobles to demonstrate their power and strength.

The 2,800-year-old group of tombs, which dates back to the spring and Autumn Period (770 BC-476 BC) is situated in the city of Zaoyang, in the province of Hubei. Present explorations have found at least 30 tombs of various sizes.

Preliminary studies show that the tombs belong to the high-ranking upper class of the period in Chinese history.

Now a new 33-meter long, four-meter wide chariot pit has been exposed. “This chariot and horse pit is different from those discovered before along the Yangtze River. The chariots and horses were densely buried,” said Liu Xu, a professor from the School of Archaeology and Museology of Peking University. ” Many of the wheels were taken off and the remaining parts of the chariots were placed one by one.”

At least 28 chariots were found in three months of excavation. About five meters away from the chariot pit was a horse pit, where at least 49 pairs of horse skeletons were exposed.

“Judging from the way the horses were hidden, they were buried after they were killed, as there was no outline of struggle. Second, it is the way they were laid. They were laid back to back, lying on their sides. It means that two horses pull one chariot,” said Huang Wenxin, an examiner from the provincial archaeological institute.
Liu Xu said the number of chariots and horses stand for the ranks of the deceased.

The number of chariots often established the strength of a country at that time. More chariots mean that the country was powerful. The strength was calculated by the number of chariots. In modern words, the chariots represent a kind of high-tech product. Only people with rather high ranks can own chariots,” Liu said.

The name of the disordered “Spring and Autumn Period” in Chinese history is based on Confucius’ history of the dynasty of the time, according to some sources. His book was called “Spring and Autumn Annals.

In 2016, researchers decided to take a stab at recreating a chariot – one of the most luxurious modes of transportation in ancient China. Although the wood of the 2,400-year-old cart found in the Majiayuan cemetery of the Gansu province had rotted away, they were able to create a version of “ancient China’s No. 1 luxury car” by combining the archaeological evidence with modeling software.

The Zaoyang finding is reminiscent of the 1960s discovery of the tomb of Duke Jing of Qi in Shandong Province, China. Duke Jing’s tomb, which also dates back to the Summer and Autumn Period in Chinese History, was found surrounded by pits of horses, believed to have been sacrificed to accompany him in the afterlife and to show his power and strength even after his death. Researchers found 251 horses, along with 30 dogs, 2 pigs, and 6 other domesticated animals, although it is believed there may be up to 600 horses buried in Duke Jing’s honor.

The Chinese were far from alone in enormous ceremonial burials. The ancient Egyptians of the time were also notorious for human give up, burying servants with their departed pharaohs – but that was in a much earlier time, around 3100 BC to 2900 BC, the era of the First Dynasty. After that period, the live retainers were replaced by figurines.