Tomb No. 8. The Siria hostage prince was found in China –

Archaeologists have discovered the grave of a hostage prince from the Tang Dynasty from the Kingdom of Siria, South Korea, in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, northwestern China. The epitaph found in the grave calls the occupant Kim Young and provides a complete biography of his life. It is just the second known Silla hostage tombstone, while the other has no source information, so this is the only example of archaeological excavations in the original context.

The tomb was excavated in June 2022 at a team of the Shaanxi Provincial Archaeological Research Institute at the Beijiangcun Archaeological Site, a mile from Changan, the capital of the ancient Tang Dynasty. Tomb M15 is a blue brick chamber grave with long sloping entrance passage leading to a single burial chamber, which is shaped and designed to be comparable to other medium-sized Tang Dynasty graves in the same area. It has been plundered from ancient times, but the tomb raiders left behind 83 funerals, including the anthropomorphic zodiac, the Heavenly King, the terrifying tomb guardian beast and 58 animals (camel, horse, sheep, chicken, pig, pig, dog, chicken, chicken) red clay pottery statues.

As far as archaeologists are concerned, the greatest treasure left by the raiders is a blue epitaph. It consists of a square dome cover decorated with clouds and peonies at the edges and corners, with an ancient sealed script written on it, “The epitaph of the late Lord Jin of the Tang Dynasty.” The main inscription is engraved on the block in a regular script. Here are 557 characters that record the achievements of Kim Young and his ancestors.

Some background: The relationship between Silla King and Tang China began in 622 AD, when Silla King Jinpyeong sent the envoy to Tang Emperor Li Yuan four years after overthrowing the former emperor and establishing a new dynasty. At that time, Shiraz was one of three kingdoms on the Korean Peninsula, and Kim Bean hoped that China would support it in conflict with rivals Baekje and Goguryeo kingdoms. Silla’s diplomatic ties with Tang brought a huge tribute to what Goguryeo refused to do, and Jinpyeong was able to take advantage of this to benefit them when he called on Taizong of Tang’s Taizong to Baekje’s hostilities.

Jinpyeong died in 632 AD and had no male heirs. His daughter ascended the throne and served as the 27th ruler of Siri and Queen Seondeok, the queen of the first queen. Emperor Teigen of Don refused to recognize her as the ruler of Siri, but he accepted her diplomat and paid a good tribute. Silla was associated with Tang Dynasty’s fruit in 660, when Allied Silla and Tang troops conquered Baekje and in 668 Goguryeo became Silla King Rouher on the unified Korean Peninsula. However, the Emperor of Tang wanted a piece of work, and a few years later, the alliance was broken, and Sira struggled to prevent Donald from colonizing.

Eventually, Silla won the Silla-tang War in 676 AD, and despite some territorial losses, diplomatic relations between the two dynasties completely ceased until they were reestablished by King Seongdeok (702-737) of Silla (702-737) and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (712-755). This time, the link and the Emperor of Tang and the King of Siria will last for hundreds of years.

Note that respect is still paid, and while Don recognizes Sila under the Peninsula, it considers the Kingdom of Siria as a vassal. The hostage system is part of the tribute structure, a form of diplomatic exchange that ensures the loyalty of the vassal states. The hostages must be noble people who were granted high government positions and fully integrated into the elites of Tang society, usually envoys from the emperor to their country of origin.

After reconciliation, King Seongdeok sent his cousin as a political hostage, Kim Young, his grandson, the third generation serving at Tang Court.

According to the inscription, Kim Young is a political hostage to Tang China or a prince of Thira in Zhizi. He was born in the sixth year of the reign of Tinba’ao (747) and died in 794 at the age of 48.

According to historical records, three generations of his family were hostages of the Tang Dynasty and were awarded official positions. Kim Young himself twice accompanied Don Special Envoy on the diplomatic mission of Sirra and participated in etiquette duties, including mourning and investment tasks. His funeral was organized by Tang officials, and the district magistrate of Chang County was responsible for supervising the arrangements. His funeral and coffin were granted by imperial decrees, demonstrating the respect and respect that the Tang Court had given him.

Of particular note is the epitaph referring to King’s wife, which rarely mentions marriages involving Silla hostages. His wife comes from the influential Wang clan in Taiwan and is also the daughter of Wang Qianling, the Yangshi County District Court. This shows that the hostages stationed in Tang courts often marry elite Chinese families.

“The discovery of Prince Tangla’s tomb of Prince Tangla, a prince of Xi’an, provides tangible evidence,” Liu Zheng, a member of the Chinese Cultural Relics Society, told the Global Times.

“It reflects how the Tang Empire maintains religion through diplomacy and cultural exchange.”