King Cuo of Zhongshan

King Cuo of Zhongshan was the fifth ruler of the state of Zhongshan during the Warring States Period in ancient China. He reigned for 15 years.

As the son of Duke Cheng of Zhongshan, he inherited the state from his father and expanded it to its peak size. He attacked Yan to the north and Zhao to the south and expanded his territory to nearly double what he inherited. His new gains from Zhao broke the state of Zhao into North and South pieces, laying the future cause for the state of Zhao to destroy the country.

Tomb of King Cuo of Zhongshan

The Tomb of King Cuo of Zhongshan is an archaeological site located in Sanji, Pingshan, Hebei, China. The tomb was built near the ancient city of Lingshou (靈壽) on the Hutuo River. The tomb contained the burial of King Cuo.

The plans for the tomb complex was engraved on a bronze diagram found inside the tomb. The original plan was designed to house five tomb complexes ("xiangtang" 饗堂) in a row, with the tomb of the king in the center, flanked by tombs of two queens, then flanked by outer tombs of two consorts; the tomb complex was never completed as designed.

The site was excavated in the 1970s. Although the central burial chamber had already been looted in antiquity, archaeologists were still able to uncover hundreds of bronze, jade, lacquer and pottery artefacts. Six others were buried alongside the king. Two horse and chariot pits were included in King Cuo's burial complex. Three boats were uncovered, and an underground canal linked the tomb to the Hutuo River.

The bronze artefacts underwent a drastic change in usage and style during the fourteenth year of King Cuo's reign. Among the changes was a de-emphasis on ritual bronzes vessels and a new focus on luxury bronze objects. A bronze vessel from the tomb recorded a previously unrecorded invasion of Yan during that year that may have contributed to the change in style; some archaeologists believe that the new techniques may have been introduced by Yan artisans or copied from looted Yan bronzes ["How inscriptions and style reflect politics: the bronzes of King Cuo", pp. 599-600] . The new technique included the use of inlaid silver and gold onto bronze objects, often portraying mythical beasts.

Notes

References

* Wu, Xiaolong, 2004, How inscriptions and style reflect politics: the bronzes of King Cuo. "Antiquity", 78(301): 594-601.
* Yang, Xiaoneng (ed), "The Golden Age of Chinese Archaeology: Celebrated Discoveries from the People's Republic of China", ISBN 0-300-08132-4.