Ancient Chinese Jade Burial Suits,In Ancient China it was not uncommon for wealthy nobles to bury th
Ancient Chinese Jade Burial Suits,In Ancient China it was not uncommon for wealthy nobles to bury their loved ones in specially made jade burial suits. The suits consisted of square or rectangular jade tiles which were sewn together into a humanoid suit. It was believed that jade had spiritual properties, and a jade suit was like a suit of armor which protected the body from evil spirits, thus preserving it. The materials used to sew the tiles together determined social status, gold wire being reserved for emperors and empresses, silver being used by high ranking nobles, copper for the children of nobles, and silk for lesser ranking nobles. Commoners were rarely if ever buried in jade suits as they were time consuming and laborious to make, and thus very expensive. Over time, jade burial suits became a status symbol as well as a practical funerary object, and by the Han Dynasty it was forbidden for commoners to be buried in jade suits by Imperial law.The height of jade suit burial occurred during the Han Dynasty (206BC-202AD) but the practice originates centuries before. In the year 223 AD Emperor Wen of Wei banned the practice of jade suit burials, as the gold and silver thread used to construct them encouraged grave robbery. -- source link
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