After days of investigation and research, Chinese archaeologists believe that the tombs they excavated at the Zhougong Temple in Qishan County of northwest China's Shaanxi Province may be the family cemetery of Zhougong, the regent in the earlier years of the Western Zhou Dynasty (c.1100 BC- 771 BC).

During the archaeological investigation at the tombs which began this March, archaeologists discovered 19 large tombs and 13 funeral pits. Among the tombs, nine have four tomb passages, four have three tomb passages, four have two tomb passages and two have just one tomb passage.

Moreover, over 700 tortoise shells with more than 420 characters identified so far were unearthed at the tombs. Among the inscriptions on the shells, archaeologists discovered the word "Zhougong" four times.

Archaeologists also unearthed a 1,500-meter city wall and six sites of construction ruins.

"Since we engaged in the archaeological studies of the Western Zhou Dynasty over 70 years ago, this is the first time for us to discover a large-scale city site boasting a city wall, tortoise shells, project ruins and tombs of high rank," said Zou Heng, a professor with Beijing University.

According to the 78-year-old man, who discovered the capital relics of Yan and Jin, two states of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and directed the excavation of the tomb of a Marquis of Jin, the inscription of "Zhougong" on the tortoise shells indicates that the site may be the fiefdom of Zhougong, and the tombs may be the noble's family tombs.

"Even the tombs of dukes or princes or even kings we discovered before had only one or two tomb passages," said Yin Shengping, historian of the Western Zhou Dynasty and a former curator of the Shaanxi Historical Museum.

"But it can be explained if the tombs with four tomb passages we discovered this time were of the family of Zhougong, who enjoyed the treatment of a king of the Western Zhou Dynasty and so was entitled to enjoy the highest funeral standard," said Yin.

Named as Ji Dan, Zhougong was the founding father of the Western Zhou Dynasty, who assisted his brother, Ji Fa, the first king of the Western Zhou Dynasty, in overthrowing the Shang Dynasty (c.1600 BC- c.1100 BC).

After Ji Fa died, Zhougong acted as the regent to assist Ji Fa's young son, and return the power to him seven years later.

During the regency of Zhougong, he established a series of regulations and systems which laid the foundation for the political civilization of the Chinese nation.

It is on the basis of Zhougong's thoughts that Confucius (551 BC -- 479 BC) created Confucianism that later became the core culture of the Chinese society.

"As the title of Zhougong was passed down for over 500 years, it is reasonable that there are several tombs with four tomb passages," said Dr. Zhang Tian'en, a researcher with the Shaanxi Archaeological Research Institute, who has been engaged in searching for tombs of the kings of the Western Zhou Dynasty.

However, as those tombs with four tomb passages are comparatively small, it is impossible that they are the tombs of the kings of the Western Zhou Dynasty. It's more likely that the tombs are the family cemetery of Zhougong," said Yuan Zhongyi, former curator of the Qin Dynasty (221 BC -- 206 BC) Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum.

"But to say for sure who was the owner of those tombs still depends on further excavation and investigation," said Yuan.
 
(Xinhua News Agency June 8, 2004)