Unearthing a Royal Treasure in Shandong

On an unremarkable Sunday in June 2018, archaeological work continued as usual at a dig site in Shandong province. Among the excavation materials from the Western Han Dynasty tomb of an Qi Kingdom ruler lay three extraordinary silver plates that would reveal an incredible trans-dynastic journey. These artifacts, discovered between 1978-1980 in Zibo City’s five accompanying burial pits, were part of a staggering collection of 12,000 relics buried with Liu Xiang, the second Qi King during early Western Han.

The plates stood out not just for their craftsmanship but for their remarkable inscriptions that chronicled their passage through different kingdoms and centuries. This discovery would illuminate a forgotten chapter about how precious objects circulated among ancient China’s warring states and imperial courts – carried as war trophies, diplomatic gifts, and symbols of shifting power.

The Turbulent World of Early Han Princes

To understand how these silver plates reached Qi’s royal tomb, we must first examine the precarious position of Liu Xiang’s family in Han politics. His father Liu Fei, as Emperor Gaozu’s eldest son by a concubine, was denied the throne in favor of legitimate heir Liu Ying. As compensation, Liu Fei received the rich Qi Kingdom territory centered around modern Linzi – making him one of Han’s most powerful vassal kings.

Yet this privilege came with constant peril. During Emperor Hui’s reign, Empress Lü’s murderous jealousy nearly cost Liu Fei his life after a family banquet in Chang’an. The terrified prince survived only by ceding chunks of his territory – first to Lü’s daughter Princess Yuan as a “bathing fiefdom,” then the Jinan commandery to her nephew Lü Tai, and finally Langya commandery to her sister’s son-in-law Liu Ze. By these forced donations, Qi’s original seven commanderies dwindled significantly.

Liu Xiang inherited this diminished kingdom and lingering resentment. When Empress Lü died in 180 BCE, he spearheaded the anti-Lü purge among imperial clans and founding ministers. Despite his pivotal role, the imperial council surprisingly bypassed him for the throne, selecting the obscure Prince of Dai (Emperor Wen) instead. The embittered Qi king died shortly after, taking his treasures – including the three silver plates – to the grave.

Decoding the Silver Plates’ Hidden Stories

The three gilded silver plates represent different artistic styles. The largest (Plate 1) dazzles with intricate dragon-phoenix patterns, while Plates 2-3 share identical simpler designs of undulating vines, clouds and dragons resembling artifacts from Xianyang. But their true historical value lies in the inscriptions:

1. Plate 1’s base records capacity, weight, and its administrative department “Yuxiu” (imperial delicacies), typical of Western Han markings.

2. The rim inscriptions reveal four distinct segments:
– “33rd Year, Left Craftsman (Ji)”: Manufacturing date and artisan
– Detailed weight measurements in ancient units
– A crudely scratched weight record using “Jin” (a Warring States measurement from Han, Zhao or Wei)
– Later-added ownership marks

These sequential engravings in different scripts and measurement systems suggest the plates changed hands across regimes. Archaeologists reconstructed their remarkable journey:

1. Warring States Period: Crafted in one of the Three Jin states (Han, Zhao, Wei)
2. Qin Conquest: Taken as war spoils to Xianyang palaces
3. Han Founding: Claimed by Liu Bang after capturing Xianyang, officially registered under imperial household
4. Qi Kingdom: Eventually gifted or transferred to Qi royalty

The Mystery of “33rd Year”: Competing Theories

Initially, scholars linked the “33rd year” inscription to Qin Shi Huang (r. 246-210 BCE), whose reign length matched. However, this overlooked another candidate – King Zhaoxiang of Qin (r. 306-251 BCE), the longest-serving Qin monarch before unification.

King Zhaoxiang’s 33rd year (274 BCE) coincided with Prime Minister Wei Ran’s victorious campaign against Wei, capturing four cities and allegedly 40,000 heads. The plates likely entered Qin’s treasury during this expansion. His 56-year reign oversaw Qin’s transformation from regional power to unifier-in-waiting, including the 256 BCE conquest of Zhou remnants.

This earlier dating better explains the plates’ Warring States-era motifs and their presence in Qin palaces decades before Liu Bang’s revolt. The artifacts embody Qin’s systematic plundering of conquered states’ ritual bronzes and treasures – a practice that continued as Han nobles acquired former Qin possessions.

Cultural Legacy of a Mobile Treasure

These wandering silver plates illuminate several historical phenomena:

1. War Trophy Circulation: Precious objects frequently changed hands through military conquests, serving as both material wealth and symbols of legitimacy.

2. Measurement Standardization: The varying weight units (Jin, Zhu, Jīn) reflect regional systems gradually unified under Qin and Han.

3. Craftsmanship Continuity: Despite political upheavals, artistic motifs like dragon-phoenix designs persisted across kingdoms, showing shared cultural elements.

4. Epigraphic Evidence: Multi-period inscriptions on single artifacts provide rare physical documentation of ownership transfers usually only described in texts.

Today, the dispersed plates reside in Beijing’s National Museum and Zibo Museum – ironically separated again after 2,000 years together. Their journey from Warring States workshops to modern display cases encapsulates China’s dynamic ancient history, where precious objects outlasted kingdoms and carried hidden stories across millennia. For historians, they serve as metallic manuscripts recording the rise and fall of dynasties through the hands that held them.