Chariot burial
Chariot burials are tombs in which the deceased was buried together with his chariot, usually including his horses and other possessions.
Early chariot burials are found in China, the most famous was discovered in 1933 at Hougang, Anyang of central China's Henan Province, dating to the rule of King Wu Ding of the Yin Dynasty (ca. 1200 BC). A Western Zhou (9th century BC) chariot burial was unearthed at Zhangjiapo, Chang'an in 1955.
In Europe, chariot burial was mainly an Iron Age Celtic custom. A tomb from the 4th century BC was discovered in La Gorge-Meillet (Marne, France). The only Etruscan find dates to ca. 530 BC, and is preserved in pristine quality, see Etruscan chariot.
In Britain, the earliest sites date to around 500 BC, probably coinciding with the celtic immigration to the British Isles. Finds of burials are rare, and the persons interred were presumably chieftains or wealthy notables. The Wetwang chariot burial of ca. 300 BC is an exception in that a woman was interred with the chariot. Some 20 British sites are known, spanning approximately four centuries, virtually all in East Yorkshire. The burial custom seems to have disappeared with the Roman occupation of Britain.
See also
External links
- Western Zhou
- Ferrybridge (bbc.co.uk)
- Wetwang (British Museum, with images of a chariot reconstruction)
- West Yorkshire
- Gorge-Meillet