History buried in a drainage ditch: bearing witness to the last glory of Cao Cao’s burial complex

Abstract

The discovery in 2009 of the tomb of the well-known historical figure, Cao Cao in Anyang, Henan Province, China, was hotly discussed and debated. In order to address some social concerns, archaeologists conducted surveys and coring work in the surrounding area. A suspected cemetery border ditch located 200 m to the west of the burial complex was excavated; the results initially suggested that this feature was part of a drainage system composed of ditches and brick-lined and covered drainage features, served some houses built in the latter half of the tenth century AD. Further investigation of records suggests that these constructions were very likely tomb-guarding facilities built in the early Northern Song dynasty for Cao Cao’s burial. They were subsequently abandoned during the following Jin and Yuan dynasties and reused for public gatherings. The people who lived in these houses might have been the last ones that knew Cao Cao’s exact burial place and witnessed the last glory of his burial complex.