The Secret Tomb of the First Chinese Emperor Remains an Unopened Treasure

The tomb of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, despite being involved in one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all times, endures as a mystery to archaeologists and historians as it remains largely sealed up and unexplored. The strange and deadly history of the tomb and its contents was sealed within and buried beneath vegetation for thousands of years.

The two decades following 218 BC was a period of instability in the Mediterranean as the Roman Republic went to war with the Carthaginians. In the Far East, by contrast, this period was relatively stable, as a unified China emerged from the chaos of the Warring States Period. Qin Shi Huang was the man responsible for uniting the seven warring states to form the first imperial dynasty of China. The first emperor of China was as obsessed with life as he was with the afterlife. Whilst occupied with the search for the elixir of immortality, Qin Shi Huang was also busy building his tomb.

A 2017 study of ancient texts written on thousands of wooden slats reveals the extent of the emperor’s power and his desire to live forever. The artifact includes an executive order from Emperor Qin Shi Huang for a nationwide hunt for the elixir of life and also the replies from local governments. One village, called “Duxiang”, reported that no miraculous potion had been found there yet but assured the emperor that they would continue to search. Another place, “Langya,” claimed to have found an herb on an “auspicious local mountain,” which could do the job.