According
to historical records, there were 16 imperial concubines buried alive
in the east and west pits as funeral objects of the emperor. They were
called pits because they were vertical shafts without horizontal tunnels.
In the
slavery society,
human sacrifice was commonplace. From the Qin and Han dynasties onwards,
wooden or earthen figures were used instead. However, the cruel system
was not abrogated thoroughly and the first Ming emperor restored the
old system with 46 imperial concubines buried with him. This practice
ended when the sixth Ming emperor issued an edict in mid-15th century
to abolish the system of human sacrifice.
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