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Ken's Korner: Horde of coins found at Emperor Qin’s tomb

Ken’s Korner: Horde of coins found at Emperor Qin’s tomb – The Journal of Antiques and Collectibles – January 2006
Archaeologists using a magnetic scan have determined that the tomb of China’s first emperor contains a large number of coins, most of them probably bronze but possibly silver, too. They may never find out for sure. “Excavation sometimes means destruction,” one of the archaeologists said (the team is Chinese and German). “Let them (the coins) sleep underground. It’s safer.” Emperor Qi, who ruled China from 221-210 BC, spent decades building his enormous underground tomb.
In 1976, the mausoleum became famous with the discovery of 8,000 terracotta soldiers guarding it. But the burial mound covering the tomb has remained largely undisturbed, for fear of damaging the treasures it contains. The coins have led some to believe that Emperor Qi might very well have been buried with the state treasury in his underground palace. It will remain conjecture for the foreseeable future. “No excavation should be done for fun or curiosity,” the archaeologist said.
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