Genghis Khan's mausoleum found

dr. what · Post by **dr. what** » 2004-10-06 01:32pm

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiap ... index.html

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Archaeologists have unearthed the site of Genghis Khan's palace and believe the long-sought grave of the 13th century Mongolian warrior is somewhere nearby, the head of the excavation team says.

A Japanese and Mongolian research team found the complex on a grassy steppe 150 miles east of the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator, said Shinpei Kato, professor emeritus at Tokyo's Kokugakuin University.

Genghis Khan (c. 1162-1227) united warring tribes to become leader of the Mongols in 1206. After his death, his descendants expanded his empire until it stretched from China to Hungary.

Genghis Khan built the palace in the simple shape of a square tent attached to wooden columns on the site at around 1200, Kato said.

The researchers found porcelain buried among the ruins dated to the warrior's era, helping identify the grounds, Kato said. A description of the scenery around the palace by a messenger from China's Southern Tang Dynasty in 1232 also matched the area, he added.

Genghis Khan's tomb is believed to be nearby because ancient texts say court officials commuted from the mausoleum later built on the grounds to the burial site daily to conduct rituals for the dead.

Kato said his group was not aiming specifically to find the grave. Still, he said finding it would help uncover the secrets of Genghis Khan's power.

"Genghis Khan conquered Eurasia and built a massive empire. There had to have been a great deal of interaction between east and west at the time, in terms of culture and the exchange of goods," Kato said in an interview. "If we find what items were buried with him, we could write a new page for world history."

Genghis Khan's grave site is one of archaeology's enduring mysteries. According to legend, in order to keep it secret, his huge burial party killed anyone who saw them en route to it; then servants and soldiers who attended the funeral were massacred.

Kato said an ancient Chinese text says a baby camel was buried at the grave in front of her mother so the parent could lead Khan's family to the tomb when needed.

Archaeologists have been forced to abandon their searches for Khan's grave in the past, however, due to protests excavation would disturb the site.

An American-financed expedition to find the tomb stopped work in 2002 after being accused by a prominent Mongolian politician of desecrating traditional rulers' graves.

In 1993, Japanese archaeologists terminated a search for the tomb after a poll in Ulan Bator found the project unpopular.

According to Mongolian tradition, violating ancestral tombs destroys the soul that serves as protector.

If researchers do find the tomb, they would also likely discover the graves of Kublai Khan -- Genghis' grandson who spread the Mongol empire to southeast Asia and became the first emperor of China's Yuan Dynasty -- at the same time.

According to ancient texts, 13 or 14 Khan warriors, including Genghis and Kublai, are buried in the same place.

Kato said he would step aside and leave the matter of how to proceed up to his Mongolian colleagues if the team discovered the tombs.

"We will consult our Mongolian colleagues and decide what the best next step would be -- we may have to escape back to Japan," Kato said, laughing.

"Excavation should be done by Mongolians -- not by those of us from other countries. It is up for Mongolians to decide."

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2004-10-06 01:59pm

Fascinating.

I agree in that this has always been one of the most-sought after historical sites in human history. Yay for history.

Utah Jak · Post by **Utah Jak** » 2004-10-06 02:08pm

Wow. This is a huge find. I personally never thought they would find it.

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2004-10-06 02:10pm

I thought Genghis Khan refused to have a palace, to keep from becoming soft. It was his sons who became sedentary. If not, I have yet another major bone to pick with my idiot World Civilizations professor.

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2004-10-06 02:36pm

Rogue 9 wrote:I thought Genghis Khan refused to have a palace, to keep from becoming soft. It was his sons who became sedentary. If not, I have yet another major bone to pick with my idiot World Civilizations professor.

He had many palaces, but IIRC he never lived in any of them.

The Cleric · Post by **The Cleric** » 2004-10-06 03:28pm

Awesome. Kahn was the fucking man.

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2004-10-06 03:31pm

Hooray! I hope they find the tomb, soon. That could be really cool.

PeZook · Post by **PeZook** » 2004-10-06 04:00pm

Genghis Khan's grave site is one of archaeology's enduring mysteries. According to legend, in order to keep it secret, his huge burial party killed anyone who saw them en route to it; then servants and soldiers who attended the funeral were massacred.

Jesus, what was it with savage emperors and the need to have their servants killed off after they kicked the bucket?

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2004-10-06 04:02pm

PeZook wrote:
Genghis Khan's grave site is one of archaeology's enduring mysteries. According to legend, in order to keep it secret, his huge burial party killed anyone who saw them en route to it; then servants and soldiers who attended the funeral were massacred.
Jesus, what was it with savage emperors and the need to have their servants killed off after they kicked the bucket?

simple. they can't rob your gravesite if the workers that built it don't spread the word as to where you were buried. they did the same with ancient egyptian tombs.

PeZook · Post by **PeZook** » 2004-10-06 04:09pm

Darth_Zod wrote: simple. they can't rob your gravesite if the workers that built it don't spread the word as to where you were buried. they did the same with ancient egyptian tombs.

Yeah, I know. I was simply impressed with the sheer inefficiency of this whole ordeal. Why bring that fucking huge burial party with you just to massacre it right after the ceremony? It seems completely wasteful and stupid...

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-10-06 04:50pm

Oh no! We need to make sure his spirit doesn't come back or we need Connor MacLeod here stat!

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2004-10-06 05:39pm

Admiral Valdemar wrote:Oh no! We need to make sure his spirit doesn't come back or we need Connor MacLeod here stat!

Bah. Just call these guys to deal with it:

http://ectoslime.tripod.com/gb/images/gbfiring.jpg

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2004-10-06 05:39pm

JME2 wrote:
Admiral Valdemar wrote:Oh no! We need to make sure his spirit doesn't come back or we need Connor MacLeod here stat!
Bah. Just call these guys to deal with it:

http://ectoslime.tripod.com/gb/images/gbfiring.jpg

Edit -- My bad.

SyntaxVorlon · Post by **SyntaxVorlon** » 2004-10-06 05:41pm

Fucking tripod.

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2004-10-06 05:46pm

SyntaxVorlon wrote:Fucking tripod.

Indded. Let me try one more time:

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-10-06 05:48pm

Yay! Third time's a charm.

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2004-10-06 08:04pm

Anyway, this discovery gives me hope that Jimmy Hoffa's body may yet be found...

StarshipTitanic · Post by **StarshipTitanic** » 2004-10-06 08:53pm

JME2 wrote:Anyway, this discovery gives me hope that Jimmy Hoffa's body may yet be found...

I thought it was a few months ago?

I don't expect there to be much in his grave, but it's still a fascinating find. Pity Atilla was so careful with his burial place.

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2004-10-06 09:27pm

I was watching a show on these expeditions a few months ago, and an EXTREMELY interesting charge was leveled at the Mongolians by a former US ambassador; the Mongolians won't give permission to dig unless they're very sure that you won't find his tomb.
That American team the article mentions was planning on using fucking bulldozers, BTW.

They've only found palace foundations so far, I'll believe they found his tomb when they actually find his tomb.

Galvatron · Post by **Galvatron** » 2004-10-06 09:55pm

Bah! This isn't news! Genghis Khan's mausoleum was found by Cobra back in the 80s when Dr. Mindbender and Destro plundered his remains for DNA which they used in creating Serpentor.

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2004-10-06 11:02pm

Galvatron wrote:Bah! This isn't news! Genghis Khan's mausoleum was found by Cobra back in the 80s when Dr. Mindbender and Destro plundered his remains for DNA which they used in creating Serpentor.

Heh. And went that didn't work out, they gave you a rail-gun, right?