Horse skeletons found in the tomb of Duke Jing of Qi.

In 1964, archaeologists announced a shocking discovery in China. It was a tomb containing hundreds of warhorses, arranged in rows, along with many precious artifacts.

The complex tomb complex, with a significant number of sacrificial animals, showed that this was the tomb of someone holding a high position in ancient Chinese society.

Not long after, researchers determined that the tomb was the burial place of Duke Jing of Qi, king of the Qi state during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period in China. Duke Jing of Qi ruled the Qi state from 547 BC to 490 BC, according to Ancient Origins.

All the warhorses were live horses, sacrificed to serve Duke Jing of Qi in the afterlife, according to ancient beliefs.

Ascending to the throne by luck

Duke Jing of Qi’s real name was Chu Jiu, the second son of Duke Ling of Qi, the 24th king of the Qi state. His mother was the concubine of Qi Linggong.

When Qi Linggong died in 554 BC, his eldest son Qi Zhuanggong succeeded to the throne.

Qi Zhuanggong ascended the throne and had an affair with the wife of Cui Zhu, the prime minister of Qi. In 548 BC, Cui Zhu killed Qi Zhuanggong in his private residence, issued a proclamation to his ministers, and enthroned Chu Jiu as king, with the тιтle Qi Jinggong.

The power of Qi at that time was actually in the hands of prime minister Cui Zhu and a nobleman named Qingfeng.

After the rebellion between Cui Zhu and Qingfeng, Qi Jinggong regained power, leading Qi to a period of peace and prosperity.

Death leads to rebellion

The terrifying sacrifice of 600 war horses in the tomb of a Chinese emperor – PH๏τo 2.
Horse skeletons were found surrounding the tomb.

Qi Jinggong married Princess Yanji of Yan, had a son who was the crown prince, but died soon.

Duke Jing of Qi had five other sons with concubines, but he chose his youngest son, Jiang Tu, to succeed him, despite the advice of his courtiers. The other four sons were banished to the wilderness.

Not long after, in 490 BC, Duke Jing of Qi fell ill and died, ruling for 58 years. His death led to a bloody rebellion. Prince Yang Sheng was brought back to the capital by his courtiers. Yang Sheng killed Jiang Tu and ascended the throne as Duke Diao of Qi.

600 war horses sacrificed

Duke Jing of Qi was buried in the village of Yai Tou, northeast of the capital Linzhi, now Shandong Province, China.

To the north of the tomb, archaeologists found the remains of 145 horses in a 215-meter-long burial pit.

The terrifying way 600 war horses were sacrificed in the tomb of a Chinese king – PH๏τo 3.

The tomb of Duke Jing of Qi is now a museum in China.

Years later, 106 more horse skeletons were found, bringing the total number of remains to 251. All of these horses were between 5 and 7 years old.

By the time excavations were stopped in 2003, archaeologists had discovered more than 600 horse skeletons buried in the tomb of Duke Jing of Qi, along with 30 dogs, 2 pigs, and 6 other animals.

These horses were sacrificed by being drunk until unconscious and then having their skulls crushed with various tools. The horses were arranged in positions as if they were ready to charge into battle.

This was not the first time archaeologists had found the remains of sacrificed horses, but Duke Jing of Qi’s tomb contained the largest number of remains.

During his life, Duke Jing of Qi was said to have been very pᴀssionate about horses, so when he died, the ancients buried such a large number of war horses with the king of Qi, as a way to honor the deceased.

According to Xinhua, archaeologists also found 3,000 artifacts in the tomb during the first excavations.

The tomb of Qi Jinggong has been converted into a museum and is a national historical and cultural relic of China.