Roman-Style Column Bolsters Han Dynasty Tomb

Peoples Daily ^ | 4-9-2007

[blam]

Roman-style column bolsters Han Dynasty tomb

Archeologists excavate near a Roman-style column in a newly found Han Dynasty tomb (202 BC - 220 AD) in Xiao County, east China's Anhui Province, April 3, 2007. (newsphoto)

Nearby villagers look on at the stone entrance of a newly found Han Dynasty tomb (202 BC - 220 AD) in Xiao County, east China's Anhui Province, April 3, 2007. (newsphoto)

An archeologists cleans carved stones in a newly found Han Dynasty tomb (202 BC - 220 AD) in Xiao County, east China's Anhui Province, April 3, 2007. (newsphoto)

[Plutarch]

Looks more like a Grecian Doric column.

Exactly. Romans used columns, but the photo doesn't distinguish between Greek and Roman columns. Now if an arch were used, that would be Roman.

[marsh_of_mists]

Well, Genghis “Jenjis” Khan’s foster father, Toghrul, was a Nestorian Christian.

[Caipirabob]

Roman illegal aliens infiltrating the Chinese construction industry?

[Vicomte13]

Well, now we know where the Chinese got pasta from.

[PuTiDaMo]

“I think this better explains the situation. Caucasians were there before the Chinese.”

Fluted columns are not some kind of collective racial knowledge of Caucasians. Even if it was an imported art, it would have more likely been Greek influence (through Seleucid Central Asia).

And we’re talking about Anhui here, not Xinjiang, where the Caucasian mummies were found. Anhui is one of the easternmost provinces in China. As far as any archaeological evidence goes, Caucasians were definitely not anywhere near there “first”.

[bert]

Ahhhh.... light is placed on the subject to increase the truth.

[blam]

"And we’re talking about Anhui here, not Xinjiang, where the Caucasian mummies were found. Anhui is one of the easternmost provinces in China. As far as any archaeological evidence goes, Caucasians were definitely not anywhere near there “first”."

I agree.

I was speaking specifically about the article in post #9 referring to Gansu Province. Archaeologist N Narain has suggested that Gansu is in fact the homeland of the people who eventually became the Europeans.

Now, if you believe professor Stephen Oppenheimer who says that the oldest Mongoloid skeleton ever found is only 10,000 years old...who do the 10k+ skeletons belong to?

[SunkenCiv]

The column in this tomb has a pedestal, which Greek-period Doric columns lacked.

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[wildbill]

Just goes to show ya! The Chinese invented western style columns too.

[PuTiDaMo]

“Western style” columns are pretty diverse. And I’m sure if you asked a few thousand professional stoneworkers to design their own columns, a couple of their creations would look very similar.

Doric columns may not have had bases, but Corinthian columns did. Note though that the fluting is very broad in the Chinese column. Actually, I can’t tell whether it is fluted or ridged.

[Hegemony Cricket]

Careful now. This column could start such a row, that it could be off the chart...

[JB in Whitefish]

Actually,

it’s not so much that the Chinese “stole” the columnar technology....

Bill Clinton GAVE it to them.

[SunkenCiv]

I’d join in, but I couldn’t figure out what to do with vectors and tuples. ;’)

[Drammach]

Romans used columns, but the photo doesn't distinguish between Greek and Roman columns.

The photo shows a base for the column.. (Tuscan / Roman Doric )
The column is fluted, while classically, the tuscan would be plain, but roman doric used either..
The capital is plain, and follows the roman doric or tuscan example..

The deciding factor for me is the base more than anything..
It establishes the column is not greek, as they did not use a base for their columns.

I would suggest, therefore, the column is probably Roman Doric, after the advent of the Tuscan style..
Not exactly sure what the timeline would be on that..
But anything after say, 250 - 200 BC would be reasonable.

[Tribune7]

OK, thanks.

[.44 Special]

Actually this is not surprising at all considering the Roman Do-It-Yourself craze that started around 150 AD. Columns were being shipped all around the Med and the Indian Ocean so it is not suprising that some wound up in China.

While there was always a market for the quality solid stone versions there was also a thriving market for the stone laminated Cedar of Lebanon economy columns. The one pictured in the article is an MS-XIV-TXXIIIV manufactured by Classic Columns Company, Inc. CCC produced columns, both solid and laminated, in most historical styles. In addition to their standard product lines CCC also undertook custom work as well. Records from the Roma Better Business Bureau indicate that in 268 AD CCC shipped a total of at least 16,000 columsns to the Far East.

CCC went out of busness in 418 AD due to a moritorium on shipping Cedar from Lebanon due to widespread shortages.

[SunkenCiv]

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