Fu Hao: Queen Consort, General and Priestess | People

Fu Hao, Queen Consort, General and Priestess. In 1976, a tomb was discovered in the province of Henan, China. The tomb was located in the ruins of Yinshu, the capital city of the Shang Dynasty. It was a great archaeological discovery because it was one of the few Shang Dynasty royal tombs that haven't been robbed, remaining sealed until the archaeology team uncovered it. The tomb was 5 meters long, 3.5 meters wide with a depth of 1.3 meters, and contained a total of 1,928 burial items. The most notable objects from the tomb is a pair of L-shaped bronze vessels with the words Fu Hao inscribed inside. They are called Fu Hao Xiao Zun for that reason. The name Fu Hao had surprised the archaeologists. Since the name had been found on oracle bone inscriptions that were discovered decades earlier in the ruins of Yin, they were excited to have found her final resting place. Unfortunately, her coffin was at the bottom of the tomb and had been sitting in water for a very long time. The team was disappointed to discover that her body, along with her coffin, had disintegrated in the intervening years. With this historical discovery, Fu Hao had been determined to be one of the 60-plus wives of King Wuding, who ruled the Shang dynasty from 1250 BCE to 1192 BCE. It appeared that King Wuding favored her greatly, as according to the oracle bone inscriptions, Fu Hao had led numerous successful military campaigns against their enemies, and was also a high-ranking priestess. She also appeared to have held her own land, since the inscriptions mention Fu Hao giving tributes to her husband. The items discovered in her tomb reinforced her high position in court. The 1,928 items discovered in her tomb included weapons, ritual objects, everyday items, and jewelry. She was buried with two bronze axe heads, decorated with a person's face between two tigers, which symbolized her high military rank. Her status as a priestess can be seen through the ritual items she was buried with, such as this yu bi, which was used in sacrificial ceremonies to the heavens. She also appeared to have a collection of carved jade, such as this phoenix and this tiger. Fu Hao died in her 30s. There is no record to show how she died or why she was buried outside of the royal cemetery. Some believe that she had died in battle and her husband buried her near the palace so he could be near her. He had built a shrine on top of her grave and offered sacrifices to her. The Shang people worshipped their ancestors, spirits, the heaven and the earth. He also married her to three great kings of the past, probably as a way to ensure that she would be cared for in the afterlife. And that was a brief introduction to Fu Hao, queen consort, general, and priestess. You can visit her tomb and see her grave goods at the Yinshui Palace and Temple Historic Site in Henan, China. Thank you for watching. Please subscribe for more videos like this.