Ancient Chinese Tomb Mural Seemingly Depicts 'Westerner'

Throughout history, central Asia has been a meeting point for various cultures that came in contact with each other on the Silk Road trading routes. The Tang dynasty, which covered much of central and eastern China from 618 to 907 C.E., was a pivotal period for Chinese culture as artforms like poetry flourished. It turns out other cultures were seemingly also a present force in life there at the time.

Archaeologists in northern China unearthed a Tang dynasty-era tomb featuring breathtaking murals on all the walls that give a clue as to just who was a part of Tang society. It was first discovered on a hillside outside Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi province, back in 2018, but archaeologists are just now reporting on the completed excavations. 

According to Chinese news agency Xinhua, an epitaph in the tomb says it's the final resting place of a 63-year-old man who died in 736 as well as his wife. It's not a particularly elaborate place, as it just has a simple brick chamber, a door, a corridor, and a platform where the coffin rested. 

The walls near the door feature paintings of several human figures believed to represent the guardians of the tomb. Some of them are carrying swords, possibly symbolizing their dedication to protecting the dead. Other murals in the tomb portray things like natural landscapes as well as vignettes of Tang life including men thrashing grain, women grinding flour, men making noodles, and women getting water from a well. 

Perhaps the most interesting figure, however, is a blond man leading camels and wearing unique clothing unlike the yellow robes the tomb-keepers are wearing. Like the other paintings, the man is depicted under trees, which was a popular artistic technique that dates back to the Han dynasty from 206 B.C.E. to 220 C.E. It's clear, however, that it's a "non-Han" man in the mural. 

"Based on his facial features and outfit style, we can identify him as a 'Westerner,' likely a Sogdian from central Asia," history professor Victor Xiong explained to Live Science. During the Tang dynasty, the Sogdians traded on the Silk Road and largely lived in what is now Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. 

If you want to learn more about the region during that time, stop by the Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an.