Xuzhou Museum (I)
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E-mail China.org.cn/Xuzhou Museum, January 10, 2023
Name：Silver Seal
Time：【Western Han dynasty】
Size：Length：2.1 cm width：2.1 cm height：1.7 cm
Source：Retrieved in 1985, originally from Guishan
This silver seal has a square base with a turtle knob. The inscription, carved in negative relief, is the name of the sixth king of Chu, Liu Zhu. Seals were symbolic of social status and were usually buried with their owners as tokens for the afterlife. The higher the individuals' status, the more seals were buried with him or her.
In the intact tomb of the King of Nanyue, 9 seals made of gold, jade and turquoise, most carved with name and title, were found in 3 lacquer boxes on top of his body.
At Mancheng, in the intact tomb of Liu Sheng, the king of Zhongshan, 4 jade seals, 2 uncarved, were found. Nearby, in his queen's tomb, 19 bronze seals, 2 with the name of the tomb owner, were buried in the main chamber.
As most of the imperial tombs in Xuzhou were looted, few seals have survived. This silver seal was the only 1 found to support the tomb owner's status that also matches the records in Sima Qian's Shiji.
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