A momentous discovery has shaken the archaeological world as the remains of a giant panda were excavated from a royal burial pit, taking us back to the times of the Western Han Dynasty, specifically between 202BC and AD25. This revelation, unveiled in a recent documentary that captivated audiences on Saturday, is an unprecedented find in historical explorations.
The backdrop of this revelation lies in Xi’an, the capital city of Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province. Here, by the grand mausoleum of Emperor Wendi of Han, archaeologists unearthed over 20 small subsidiary pits towards the end of 2021. Nestled within these pits, according to a detailed report by the news platform cover.cn, was the complete skeleton of an animal. On further scrutiny, it became clear that these were the remains of a giant panda.
The skeletal remnants displayed prominently evolved canine teeth. Intriguingly, the way the skeleton was arranged bore significance. Positioned within a carefully structured brick layout, the skeleton faced the emperor’s tomb, with its tail oriented towards the west. A comparison with contemporary giant panda skeletons by the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology’s researchers confirmed the animal’s identity.
Hu Songmei, an esteemed researcher at the academy, explained, “The skeletal evidence indicates that this panda was a part of the Qinling subspecies.” She elucidated the distinction between the two classified subspecies of China’s giant pandas: the Sichuan giant pandas and the Qinling giant pandas. The Qinling pandas are characterized by their more significant size and a rounded facial structure, in contrast to their Sichuan counterparts.
Further analysis of these ancient remains not only sheds light on the species but also offers a window into the climatic and environmental conditions of that age. Hu suggests that this particular giant panda might have hailed from the northern slope forests of the Qinling Mountains. These terrains, during the Western Han Dynasty, were possibly warmer and experienced greater humidity than contemporary conditions.
This isn’t the first instance where a giant panda was associated with royalty from that era. In 1975, another panda’s buried remains were found close to the tomb of Empress Bo, Emperor Wendi’s mother. However, as Cao Long, another researcher from the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology pointed out, it is premature to deduce that Emperor Wendi or Empress Bo had a particular fondness for these majestic creatures. Evaluating the overall context, he expressed, “Considering the array of subsidiary pits and the diversity of animal species found, the arrangement seems more reflective of a royal garden concept rather than an exclusive inclination towards giant pandas.”
In addition to the remarkable giant panda, the burial pits concealed the remains of other exotic animals, including tigers, tapirs, Indian wild buffalo, oryxes, serows, and yaks. Such an assortment is indicative of the Han Dynasty’s belief in an afterlife, mirroring one’s earthly existence. The inclusion of these creatures in burial sites emphasizes their belief that life in the underworld would resemble the life once lived.
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