Half a century ago, farmers digging a simple well in China’s Shaanxi province struck something that later astonished the world—a clay soldier standing guard in silence. That lone statue turned out to be just one figure among an underground army of thousands, the Terracotta Warriors, who were built to defend China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, in death. 

Today, that site is once again making headlines. Archaeologists have unearthed a gigantic coffin weighing 16 tonnes, surrounded by treasures—coins, jade, weapons, even golden camels—that may finally link a 2,000-year-old legend to reality. 

“The tomb was so precisely built. So deep, so large in scale. Most ancient tombs have been robbed, so we didn’t have much hope for the coffin chamber. But it turned out it hadn’t been robbed. We were amazed,” Jiang Wenxiao, lead archaeologist, said.

This coffin could be the resting place of Prince Gao, the emperor’s ill-fated son who, according to ancient chronicles, chose to die so that he might join his father in the afterlife.

Uncovering the legend of Prince Gao

Due to China’s policy of protecting the emperor’s mausoleum from direct excavation, the tombs were left undisturbed for years. However, when heavy rains threatened to flood the chamber, archaeologists had no choice but to act.

In 2011, researchers identified nine large tombs close to Qin Shi Huang’s vast mausoleum complex. One of these burial chambers, hidden 16 meters below the surface and stretching more than 100 meters in length, appeared especially significant. The chamber had escaped looting, a rare occurrence, since most ancient Chinese tombs were emptied centuries ago. 

Inside, a massive wooden coffin weighing around 16 tonnes was revealed. Although badly decayed, it remained sealed, surrounded by grave goods that indicated royal status. There were thousands of bronze coins, suits of armor, finely crafted jade, cooking vessels, and a pair of camels fashioned from gold and silver. 

Each item reflected ancient beliefs about the afterlife. For instance, historians suggest that the armor represents protection, jade symbolizes purity, coins represent wealth, utensils signify sustenance, and exotic animals are symbols of power and prosperity.

The grandeur of the burial immediately raised questions about the deceased. Some scholars suggest it could be the tomb of a high-ranking general or nobleman. While others point to the dramatic tale of Prince Gao, a son of Qin Shi Huang, recorded in the Shiji, an ancient historical account written by the Father of Chinese History, Sima Qian, in the first century BCE. 

According to the Shiji, after the emperor’s death, his youngest son Hu Hai seized the throne by eliminating his siblings. Interestingly, Prince Gao, one of the elder sons of Huang, is said to have asked his brother to let him die so he could be buried beside his father and join him in the afterlife.

For centuries, historians wondered if this was myth or history. Now, with this richly furnished tomb lying within the necropolis, the possibility feels closer than ever.

“For the first time in 2,000 years, we have a chance to figure out if what Sima Qian wrote is correct,” Hui Ming Tak Ted, a historian and associate professor at Oxford University, said.

There is much more to know about the coffin

If the coffin does belong to Prince Gao, it would be one of the rare moments when archaeology directly confirms an ancient Chinese legend.

However, in the event that the occupant turns out to be a noble warrior instead, the discovery still reveals the extent to which Qin Shi Huang’s vast burial complex remains unexplored and how carefully these tombs were constructed to withstand the passage of time.

Finding the right answer is, however, not a simple task. The coffin is fragile, and tests to identify the occupant, whether through DNA analysis, chemical study, or artifact comparison, may take years and face technical hurdles. Moreover, soil conditions often destroy organic remains, and extracting genetic material from two millennia ago is notoriously difficult. 

Hopefully, archaeologists will overcome these challenges, and further research will reveal many more interesting findings related to the Qin dynasty.

In the meantime, you can learn more about the coffin treasure discovery in The Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors, a documentary recently released on Netflix.