Some features of burial constructions in China: from Han period to Tang epoch

For comparison we have chosen more than one hundred burials from Western Han (206 B.C. - 25 A.D.) to Tang dynasty (618-907). We have described the location of the imperial tombs of respective dynasties. We have to say that degree of scrutiny of Han-Tan’s burial complexes is very different. For example, if we look at Three Kingdoms tombs, they are not so numerous as Han and Jin ones. Three Kingdoms period in China is the period when Shu, Wu and Wei kingdoms were fighting between each other to be dominant and to rule all over China. But also it is a transition period from the Antiquity to the Middle Ages, so research of funeral complexes of that time can help us to reconstruct the culture of that epoch and to understand the process of transition. The Three Kingdoms period is between Han dynasty and Jin dynasty. If we compare funerary complexes of these three periods, we can see that they have both similarities and differences. We have chosen several funeral complexes of the Three Kingdoms period and have found some distinguishing features of construction. Most of funeral complexes are made of brick. The construction includes gradually tapering multi-stage dromos ( mudao ), corridor ( yongdao ), front and back burial chambers ( mushi ) and side chambers ( ershi ). A front chamber has usually a square shape, but back chamber has a rectangular shape with arched ceiling. There are imitations of dougong -brackets in burial chambers as in previous Eastern Han dynasty’s funeral complexes. There is a possibility that some burial complexes of Three Kingdoms are wrongly considered as belonging to Eastern Han or Jin dynasties. The data of research made for burial complexes of Han, Three Kingdoms, Jin, Southern and Northern dynasties, Sui and Tang periods can help us in further studying of material and spiritual culture of that time and understand the peculiarities of transition period.