Tomb Rituals in Han Dynasty Pictorial Stone Reliefs: Depictions of Historical Figures
Archaeological reports show that about 70% of Han dynasty pictorial stone sites feature historical figures, revealing a significant yet understudied aspect of tomb ritual practice (muji yishi). This study examines how these depictions may reflect ritual characteristics and their relationship to temp...
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| Published in: | Religions |
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| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Articles |
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2026
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| Online Access: | View article (DOI: 10.3390/rel17040470) |
| _version_ | 1877637432317313024 |
|---|---|
| author | Duan, Shaohua Wang, Xiaoyang Cao, Yanli |
| author_autocomplete | Duan, Shaohua Wang, Xiaoyang Cao, Yanli |
| author_browse | Cao, Yanli Duan, Shaohua Wang, Xiaoyang |
| author_facet | Duan, Shaohua Wang, Xiaoyang Cao, Yanli Duan, Shaohua Wang, Xiaoyang Cao, Yanli |
| author_sort | Duan, Shaohua |
| container_issue | 4 |
| container_issue_str | 4 |
| container_title | Religions |
| container_title_str | Religions |
| container_volume | 17 |
| container_volume_str | 17 |
| description | Archaeological reports show that about 70% of Han dynasty pictorial stone sites feature historical figures, revealing a significant yet understudied aspect of tomb ritual practice (muji yishi). This study examines how these depictions may reflect ritual characteristics and their relationship to temple ritual practice (miaoji yishi). From the Qin to Han period (221 BCE–220 CE), tomb and temple rituals increasingly converged; temple rituals were sometimes performed by tombs, and the imagery incorporated cosmological models alongside representations of daily life, including clothing, diet, dwellings, and mobility. The historical figures depicted can be grouped into three categories: emperors and sages, loyal ministers and righteous heroes, and filial sons and chaste women. These figures were closely associated with ideals of transcendence and immortality, suggesting a ritual framework that connected temple and tomb practices, with emperors and sages appearing most frequently, accounting for about 80% of the depictions. Notably, these images occur predominantly in commoners’ tombs (approximately 95%), where fewer social restrictions may have allowed greater creative freedom. While research on tomb ritual practices has traditionally relied on textual sources, the present study emphasizes archaeological evidence, offering an analytical perspective on the relationship between temple and tomb rituals in Han funeral art and highlighting their potential role in shaping Han ritual logic and religious expression. |
| doi_str_mv | 10.3390/rel17040470 |
| first_indexed | 2026-09-29T04:00:29Z |
| format | Articles |
| genre | Articles |
| genre_facet | Articles |
| id | zotero-3GTWGNGQ |
| institution | zotero_group |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| last_indexed | 2026-09-29T04:00:29Z |
| latest_content_date | 2026-09-29T04:00:29Z |
| physical | 470 |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| record_format | zotero |
| spelling | Tomb Rituals in Han Dynasty Pictorial Stone Reliefs: Depictions of Historical Figures Archaeological reports show that about 70% of Han dynasty pictorial stone sites feature historical figures, revealing a significant yet understudied aspect of tomb ritual practice (muji yishi). This study examines how these depictions may reflect ritual characteristics and their relationship to temple ritual practice (miaoji yishi). From the Qin to Han period (221 BCE–220 CE), tomb and temple rituals increasingly converged; temple rituals were sometimes performed by tombs, and the imagery incorporated cosmological models alongside representations of daily life, including clothing, diet, dwellings, and mobility. The historical figures depicted can be grouped into three categories: emperors and sages, loyal ministers and righteous heroes, and filial sons and chaste women. These figures were closely associated with ideals of transcendence and immortality, suggesting a ritual framework that connected temple and tomb practices, with emperors and sages appearing most frequently, accounting for about 80% of the depictions. Notably, these images occur predominantly in commoners’ tombs (approximately 95%), where fewer social restrictions may have allowed greater creative freedom. While research on tomb ritual practices has traditionally relied on textual sources, the present study emphasizes archaeological evidence, offering an analytical perspective on the relationship between temple and tomb rituals in Han funeral art and highlighting their potential role in shaping Han ritual logic and religious expression. Religions Articles 2026 Chinese pictorial stone reliefs historical figures temple rituals tomb rituals Duan, Shaohua Wang, Xiaoyang Cao, Yanli |
| spellingShingle | Tomb Rituals in Han Dynasty Pictorial Stone Reliefs: Depictions of Historical Figures Duan, Shaohua Wang, Xiaoyang Cao, Yanli Chinese pictorial stone reliefs historical figures temple rituals tomb rituals |
| title | Tomb Rituals in Han Dynasty Pictorial Stone Reliefs: Depictions of Historical Figures |
| title_autocomplete | Tomb Rituals in Han Dynasty Pictorial Stone Reliefs: Depictions of Historical Figures |
| title_full | Tomb Rituals in Han Dynasty Pictorial Stone Reliefs: Depictions of Historical Figures |
| title_fullStr | Tomb Rituals in Han Dynasty Pictorial Stone Reliefs: Depictions of Historical Figures |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tomb Rituals in Han Dynasty Pictorial Stone Reliefs: Depictions of Historical Figures |
| title_short | Tomb Rituals in Han Dynasty Pictorial Stone Reliefs: Depictions of Historical Figures |
| title_sort | tomb rituals in han dynasty pictorial stone reliefs: depictions of historical figures |
| topic | Chinese pictorial stone reliefs historical figures temple rituals tomb rituals |
| topic_autocomplete | Chinese pictorial stone reliefs historical figures temple rituals tomb rituals |
| topic_facet | Chinese pictorial stone reliefs historical figures temple rituals tomb rituals |