THe body
Where? When? How?
The extremely well preserved body of Xin Zhui, also known as Lady Dai or Marquise of Dai was found in 1972. She was found at the site of Mawangdui, a hill in the city of Changsha, Hunan province, China. The body was uncovered when archaeologists were called to excavate a sight accidentally stumbled upon by workers trying to build an air raid shelter. There they discovered the burial place of the whole Dai family which included:
Her Body Today:
When discovered, Xin Zhui was found in immaculate condition, however the oxygen in the atmosphere began to take an immediate toll. When unearthed, she measured 1.54 m tall and weighed 34.3 kg. Her body was in a more perfect state than the ancient Egyptians mummies and is considered to be one of the best preserved ancient bodies. Her skin was still moist and flexible as were her limbs. Her hair was firmly attached to her scalp and her internal organs were still in perfect condition. Lady Dai was completely intact, including her eyelashes, nostril hair and her blood was still present in her veins.
The extremely well preserved body of Xin Zhui, also known as Lady Dai or Marquise of Dai was found in 1972. She was found at the site of Mawangdui, a hill in the city of Changsha, Hunan province, China. The body was uncovered when archaeologists were called to excavate a sight accidentally stumbled upon by workers trying to build an air raid shelter. There they discovered the burial place of the whole Dai family which included:
- Xin Zhui (Lady Dai)
- Li Cang (Lady Dai's husband, the Prime Minister of ChangSha)
- A man in his 30's (Their supposed son or Li's brother)
Her Body Today:
When discovered, Xin Zhui was found in immaculate condition, however the oxygen in the atmosphere began to take an immediate toll. When unearthed, she measured 1.54 m tall and weighed 34.3 kg. Her body was in a more perfect state than the ancient Egyptians mummies and is considered to be one of the best preserved ancient bodies. Her skin was still moist and flexible as were her limbs. Her hair was firmly attached to her scalp and her internal organs were still in perfect condition. Lady Dai was completely intact, including her eyelashes, nostril hair and her blood was still present in her veins.
The preserved body of Xin Zhui, Lady Dai
(http://imgarcade.com/1/lady-dai)
(http://imgarcade.com/1/lady-dai)
Why she was so well preserved:
There were many contributing factors as to why Lady Dai was so extraordinarily well preserved, including the location of her tomb and the techniques and methods imposed on her. Her corpse was wrapped in twenty layers of silk and was secured by nine silk ribbons. She was then covered with two quilts, with all the layers combined, they suffocated any bacteria on her body. The central chamber of Lady Dai's tomb was arranged in four layers. She was firstly then placed in a coffin, which was then placed inside another two coffins, each sealed with a layer of lacquer. The three-layered coffin was then placed inside a wooden coffin that had built in compartments on all four sides, which stored valuable goods. 5 tonnes moisture absorbing charcoal was then compressed around vault. Over 1m high clay was placed on top of the charcoal, creating an air tight vacuum that halted the decomposing process. The four-layer coffin was buried in a massive inverted pyramid that was over 12m deep. The depth of the tomb created a refrigerator-like environment, which also helped with the preservation process. To completely seal the tomb, hard rammed pieces of earth filled it to ground level and was then covered with a mound of earth over 50m high. Some speculate that the 80 litres of unknown fluid inside the innermost coffin might have also served a major part in preserving the body.
Diagram of Lady Dai's burial chamber
(http://imgarcade.com/1/lady-dai/)
(http://imgarcade.com/1/lady-dai/)
How did she die?
Due to the pathological inspection performed they discovered that she died at 50 years of age of a coronary heart attack due to obesity caused by unbalanced diet and lack of exercise over her wealthy lifetime. Atherosclerosis (the narrowing of the arteries) was one of the most serious medical conditions observed also associated with a sedentary lifestyle. It also revealed that she had A blood type and blood clots were found still in her veins, an indication of the coronary heart attack, as well other medical conditions and diseases such as high cholesterol, diabetes, liver disease and high blood pressure. Scarring was also found on her lungs which suggests that she could have suffered from a serious case of tuberculosis. Gall stones, and series of parasites such as tape worms also affected her health.
Due to the pathological inspection performed they discovered that she died at 50 years of age of a coronary heart attack due to obesity caused by unbalanced diet and lack of exercise over her wealthy lifetime. Atherosclerosis (the narrowing of the arteries) was one of the most serious medical conditions observed also associated with a sedentary lifestyle. It also revealed that she had A blood type and blood clots were found still in her veins, an indication of the coronary heart attack, as well other medical conditions and diseases such as high cholesterol, diabetes, liver disease and high blood pressure. Scarring was also found on her lungs which suggests that she could have suffered from a serious case of tuberculosis. Gall stones, and series of parasites such as tape worms also affected her health.