Fu Hao

Fu Hao
Queen consort
Modern statue of Fu Hao outside her tomb at Yinxu
Diedc. 1200 BC
Yinxu, Shang
SpouseKing Wu Ding
IssuePrince Jie
DynastyShang
Occupation
  • Military general
  • Priestess

Fu Hao (traditional Chinese: 婦好; simplified Chinese: 妇好; pinyin: Fù Hǎo; lit. 'Lady [surnamed] Hao')[a] died c. 1200 BC, posthumous temple name Mu Xin (母辛), was one of the many wives of King Wu Ding of the Shang dynasty and also served as a military general and high priestess.[2] Minimal evidence detailing Fu Hao's life and military achievements survived the Shang dynasty, and the records may have perished over the course of time.

The Tomb of Fu Hao was unearthed intact in 1976 at Yinxu by archaeologist Zheng Zhenxiang,[3][4] with treasures - known as her 700+ jade objects (Fu Hao was a collector, so some were already antiques), and also her collection of more than 500 bone objects, such as oracle bones (they were from her role as a religious priestess, and were used in her many rituals). Along with the jade and bone objects, Fu Hao was buried with 6 dogs, and 16 human sacrifices. Inside the pit was evidence of a wooden chamber 5 metres (16 feet) long, 3.5 metres (11 feet) wide and 1.3 metres (4.3 feet) high containing a lacquered wooden coffin that has since completely disintegrated.[5] The tomb of Fu Hao provides the most insight into her life, her relationship with the royal family, and her military role and achievements - as the objects she was buried with provide clues to her activities and interests.

  1. ^ Childs-Johnson, Elizabeth (2003). "Fu Zi: The Shang Woman Warrior". The Fourth International Conference on Chinese Paleography [ICCP] Proceedings. Hong Kong: Chinese University of Hong Kong. pp. 619–651.
  2. ^ Ebrey, Patricia (2006). The Cambridge Illustrated History of China. Cambridge University Press. pp. 26–27. ISBN 978-0-521-43519-2.
  3. ^ Bagley 1999, pp. 194–196.
  4. ^ "The First Lady of Chinese Archaeology". TrowelBlazers. 9 May 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  5. ^ Buckley Ebrey, Patricia. "Shang Tomb of Fu Hao". A Visual Sourcebook of Chinese Civilization. University of Washington. Retrieved August 4, 2007.


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