Twelves huge tombs were built for twelve western han emperors and similar but smaller ones for their empresses. Nine were placed to the north of the capital beyond the Wei river while three are located to Tang Chang’an’s east and south-east. These visible and enduring tombs’ size, and external appearance inspired early Tang rulers in the construction of their own tombs. The Han imperial mausoleum complexes included a large truncated pyramidal mound as a base that was usually square but sometimes rectangular beneath which the emperor was laid to rest. There were many pits for burial objects, ancillary buildings to support the ritual, walls, gateways and processional paths. Through excavations at Yangling (tomb of the 5th Han emperor Jingdi), they discovered a substantial cemetery for nobles, officials and their families in front of the tomb on both sides of the processional path.
Imperial tombs in Tang China, 618-907: the politics of paradise
