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The Enigmatic Celestial Calendar Found in an Ancient Chinese Burial
Archaeologists discovered rectangular wooden tiles in a Chinese tomb that referred to an ancient Chinese calendar. Researchers claim it was the so-called sixty-year cycle.
Chinese archaeologists conducted excavations in Chongqing, a city in central China with a population of over 30 million. The research was carried out in the Wulong district. According to local media, scientists uncovered a tomb believed to date back to the Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE).
The tiles potentially linked to the ancient calendar
Researchers suggest it’s likely the oldest tomb from the ruling dynasty founded by Liu Bang, later Emperor Gaozu. However, scholars were intrigued not only by the age of the historic burial but also by the numerous artifacts found inside, including enigmatic wooden tiles. These tiles were rectangular, measuring about 2.5 centimeters in width and 10 centimeters in length.
In total, scholars found 23 such tiles. One of them bore a Chinese character associated with the “Tiangan Dizhi” (translated as “Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches”) cycle. It’s a traditional Chinese calendar system consisting of a 60-year…
