Investigating the Clan Affiliations of the Occupants of the Laoguanshan 老官山 Han Tombs in Chengdu

Abstract

Inscriptions on funerary objects excavated from the Han tombs of Laoguanshan in Chengdu are key to unraveling the identities of the tombs’ occupants. Our analysis of these inscriptions, considered alongside the varying configurations of the tombs, the excavated objects, the earliest dates when the tombs were ransacked, and the physical characteristics revealed by the bones of the tomb occupants, together suggest that they were aristocrats from different regions. They were “out of state” officials who had immigrated to Chengdu. Identifying their clan affiliations provides an important clue for determining the clan affiliations of occupants of other high-specification tombs found in the Chengdu plain.