In the tomb of Qi Jinggong, king of Qi during the Spring and Autumn Warring States period in China, researchers once found the remains of 600 war horses.

In 1964, archaeologists announced a shocking discovery in China. It is a mausoleum containing hundreds of corpses of war horses, arranged in rows, along with many precious artifacts.

The complex tomb complex, with a significant number of sacrificial animals, shows that this is the tomb of someone holding a high position in ancient Chinese society.

Horse remains were found in the tomb of Qi Jinggong.

Not long after, researchers determined that the mausoleum was the burial place of Qi Jinggong, king of Qi during the Spring and Autumn Warring States period in China. Duke Jing of Qi ruled the state of Qi during the period 547 BC – 490 BC, according to Ancient Origins.

All war horses are living horses, sacrificed to serve Qi Jinggong in the afterlife, according to ancient beliefs.

Take the throne thanks to luck

Qi Jinggong’s real name is Chu Cuu , the second son of Qi Linggong, the 24th king of the state of Qi. His mother was the concubine of Duke Qi Ling.

When King Qi Linggong died in 554 BC, his eldest son Qizhuanggong succeeded him.

When Duke Qi Zhuang ascended the throne, he had an affair with the wife of Cui Chu, general of the state of Qi. In 548 BC, Cui Chu killed Duke Qi Trang at his home, issued an announcement to his officials, and put Chu Cuu on the throne, taking the title of Duke Qi Canh.

The power of Qi at that time was actually in the hands of Prime Minister Cui Chu and an aristocrat named Khanh Phong.

After the rebellion between Cui Chu and Khanh Phong, Qi Jinggong regained power, leading the state of Qi to begin a period of peace and prosperity.

Death leads to rebellion

Horse remains were found surrounding the tomb.

Duke Qi Jing married Princess Yen Co of Yen, had a son who was crown prince, but soon passed away.

Duke Qi Jing had five other sons along with his concubines, but he chose the youngest son Jiang Tu to succeed him, despite the advice of his courtiers. The other four children were chased into the wilderness.

Not long after that, in 490 BC, Duke Qi Jing fell ill and died, holding power for 58 years. His death led to a bloody rebellion. Prince Duong Sinh was brought back to the capital by his courtiers. Duong Sinh killed Khuong Do and took the throne as Qi Dieu Cong.

600 war horses were sacrificed

Duke Qi Jing was buried in Yatou village, northeast of the capital Linzhi, now Shandong province, China.

To the north of the mausoleum, archaeologists found the remains of 145 horses in a 215-meter-long burial pit.

Qi Jinggong’s mausoleum is today a museum in China.

Years later, another 106 horse skeletons were found, bringing the total number of remains to 251. All of these horses were between 5-7 years old.

By the time excavations stopped in 2003, archaeologists discovered more than 600 horse remains buried in Qi Jinggong’s tomb, along with 30 dogs, 2 pigs and 6 other animals.

Carefully examining the shape of the horse skeletons, experts say that these horses must have been extremely strong throughout their lives. They are war horses. There is no sign that they died of disease and were buried together. These horses were beheaded and buried with the owner of the ancient tomb and this is called horse sacrifice . Sacrificial horses were often buried with an ancient monarch.

In particular, after being killed, the horses are also arranged in the correct action positions , like horses ready to rush into battle in ancient tombs. Many skeletons are arranged in front of chariots in the style of horse-drawn chariots used in battles.

This is not the first time archaeologists have found the remains of sacrificed horses, but Qi Jinggong’s tomb contains the largest number of remains.

When he was alive, Qi Jinggong was said to be very passionate about horses, so when he died, the ancients buried such a large number of war horses with the king of Qi, as a way to honor the deceased.

According to Xinhua News Agency, archaeologists also found 3,000 artifacts in the tomb during the first excavations.

Today, Qi Jinggong’s mausoleum has been converted into a museum and is a national historical and cultural relic of China.