The Han Dynasty's Lost Army of Jade and Gold

When Emperor Wu of Han died in 87 BCE, he was buried with an army — not of soldiers, but of jade. His tomb, Maoling, and the tombs of other Han emperors were lavishly furnished with jade burial suits, gold coins, and thousands of precious objects meant to preserve the body and ensure immortality. But grave robbing plagued these monuments for centuries. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Han dynasty's obsession with jade as a life-preserving substance, the intricate craft of jade burial suits sewn with gold thread, and the fate of these treasures. They discuss the discovery of the only intact Han royal jade suit — that of Prince Liu Sheng and his wife Dou Wan from the Mancheng tomb — and what it tells us about Han beliefs, hierarchy, and artistry. They also touch on the economics of jade, the government's jade monopolies, and how the Han view of the afterlife compares with other ancient cultures. No previous episodes have covered Han burial practices or jade craftsmanship, making this a fresh angle on China's first golden age.

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