This Ancient Chinese Emperor’s Tomb Was Found In 1996, And Scientists Recently Were Able To Figure Out What He Looked Like
In 1996, archaeologists found the tomb of Emperor Wu—the 6th-century ruler who reigned over the Northern Zhou dynasty from 560 to 580 during the country’s dark ages—in northwestern China. Emperor Wu was credited with unifying northern China in a particularly chaotic time.
Researchers recovered ancient DNA from his remains, which included a nearly intact skull. After analyzing the genetic material, they were able to determine his appearance and ancestry. They even created a digital three-dimensional reconstruction of his face.
The emperor belonged to a nomadic ethnic group called the Xianbei. They lived in the area that is now Mongolia and northern China.
Not much about the group is known. The analysis suggested that Wu had black hair, brown eyes, and dark to medium skin color.
“Some scholars said the Xianbei had ‘exotic’ looks, such as thick beard, high nose bridge, and yellow hair,” said Shaoqing Wen, a co-author of the study and an associate professor at Fudan University in Shanghai. “Our analysis shows Emperor Wu had typical East or Northeast Asian facial characteristics.”
The researchers hoped that the DNA analysis would shed some light on Wu’s cause of death. The emperor died suddenly and mysteriously at the age of 36 in 578 C.E. Historical texts stated that he may have succumbed to illness or was deliberately poisoned.
Unfortunately, the research team could not confirm how he died. However, they did uncover a genetic predisposition to stroke, which could explain some of the symptoms that historians mentioned about Wu.
The records described him as having drooping eyelids, blindness, and an abnormal gait. Furthermore, the team was able to produce a digital reconstruction of Emperor Wu.
“Our work brought historical figures to life,” said Pianpian Wei, a co-author of the study and a physical anthropologist at Fudan University.
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“Previously, people had to rely on historical records or murals to picture what ancient people looked like. We are able to reveal the appearance of the Xianbei people directly.”
The genetic analysis also provided insight into China’s ethnic history. It showed that Emperor Wu had a fairly high percentage of ancestry from the ancient North Asians. In addition, he intermarried with ethnically Han Chinese, which is China’s dominant group today.
As the Xianbei migrated south over time, they began to mix with Han Chinese peoples, creating an elite group that Emperor Wu belonged to. Very few genetic studies have been done on this group so that makes this study one of the first cases.
Next, the team plans to analyze DNA from the ancient city of Chang’an, also located in northwestern China. For hundreds of years, Chang’an represented the eastern end of the Silk Road until the 15th century. They hope to learn more about migration and cultural exchanges related to the road.
The study was published in Current Biology.
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