Chinese researchers reconstruct face of man believed to be a son of Qin Shi Huang
(ECNS) -- Chinese researchers have reconstructed the face of a young man buried in a satellite tomb in Shangjiao Village, east of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang in northwest China's Shaanxi Province. The man is believed to have been a son of Qin Shi Huang, China's first emperor.
Using craniofacial reconstruction techniques, a team at Northwest University concluded that the man was likely a member of the Qin imperial family and may have been killed during a purge ordered by Qin Er Shi, also known as Ying Huhai, the second emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221–207 BC).
The man was about 30 years old when he died. A bronze arrowhead was found embedded in his right temporal bone, and his head and limbs had been severed from his torso before burial.
The facial reconstruction shows a man with almond-shaped eyes and a high nasal bridge. His features resemble those attributed to Qin Shi Huang in the Records of the Grand Historian, which describes the emperor as having a prominent nose and elongated eyes.
The tomb also contained numerous high-status grave goods, including gold and silver artifacts and bronze swords, further supporting the theory that the man belonged to the imperial family.
(By Zhang Dongfang)