Study Buddy (Challenger): Not a ‘baad’ way to travel: 6-sheep chariot unearthed near mausoleum of China’s first emperor
- Discovery is ‘exceptionally rare’ in Chinese archaeology and historical records of sheep-drawn carriages are uncommon
- This page is for students who want to take their reading comprehension to the next level with difficult vocabulary and questions to test their inference skills
A six-sheep carriage was recently discovered near the burial site of China’s first emperor. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/CCTVContent provided by British Council
Read the following text, and answer questions 1-9 below:
[1] Archaeologists in China unearthed a group of chariots – including a rare “six-sheep” carriage – near the mausoleum of China’s first emperor Qin Shi Huang (r. 221-210BC) in northwest China’s Shaanxi province. The sheep were likely part of a burial ritual, indicated by the fact that the animals were lined up in an organised fashion. While the chariot’s main body had deteriorated, evidence of tools used to draw a carriage remained on the sheep bones.
[2] Jiang Wenxiao, the leader of the archaeological excavation project, said in the official announcement that the discovery was “exceptionally rare” in Chinese archaeology. Horse and ox-drawn chariots were common in ancient China, so archaeologists often find those remains – including in this excavation. However, historical records of sheep-drawn carriages are uncommon, so finding physical evidence of their existence represents a breakthrough. This chariot was also far older than the first appearance of the six-sheep carriage in historical records.
[3] Before the recent discovery, the oldest example of a six-sheep carriage came from descriptions of Emperor Wu (r. 266-290), the founder of the Jin dynasty (266-420), who would ride a sheep-drawn carriage every evening to take a tour of his palace complex. The behaviour appears in an ancient sentence that says Emperor Wu was “seeking luck in a sheep carriage,” the first time a mention of a six-sheep carriage appeared in history until now, according to the official announcement.
[4] At the current site, the archaeologists also unearthed a separate wooden chariot that was well-preserved and included an ornate wooden umbrella. It is believed to be the oldest known chariot of its kind. The area is filled with horses and chariots that seem to be associated with burial traditions from the Qin dynasty (221-206BC). There is a wide variety of chariots in the surrounding area, and the number of horses per vehicle differs between locations.
[5] The discovery will present an invaluable primary source for scientists researching ancient Chinese burial practices. The tomb did not belong to Emperor Qin Shi Huang, and scientists are currently analysing it to determine to whom it belonged.
[6] The six-sheep chariot is not the first rare artefact discovered in this particular tomb. In 2020, researchers announced that they had found an ancient silver camel figurine at this exact location. It is the earliest known example of a camel ornament appearing in China. The camel artefact is important because it suggests China was trading with West Asia during the Qin dynasty.
[7] Emperor Qin Shi Huang was the first leader to unify China and started the Qin dynasty. While scientists are confident that the mausoleum belonged to Emperor Qin Shi Huang, they have not yet discovered his actual burial chambers.
[8] In 2021, the government funded a project to determine if cosmic rays could be used to find Qin Shi Huang’s resting place by pinpointing objects of cosmic origin that could be hidden in hard-to-find locations. The Qin Shi Huang mausoleum is 70 times the size of the Forbidden City and is the largest known tomb ever built for a single individual in the history of humankind.
Source: South China Morning Post, November 7
Questions
1. What evidence is given in paragraph 1 to show the sheep were likely part of a set of customs performed around the time of a person’s death and burial?
2. Find a word in paragraph 2 that means “an important discovery”.
3. What other items were found in the archaeological excavation project according to paragraph 2?
4. What does the “behaviour” in paragraph 3 refer to?
5. Paragraph 4 describes …
A. Emperor Wu’s preference for sheep-drawn carriages.
B. the discovery of an ancient carriage.
C. a superstitious belief linked to sheep-drawn carriages.
D. all of the above
6. Which of the following can describe the umbrella mentioned in paragraph 4?
A. It is decorated with a lot of complicated patterns.
B. It was designed to be practical and useful.
C. It held personal significance to its owner.
D. It was only used by the nobility.
7. What is the significance of the camel ornament according to paragraph 6?
8. Based on your understanding of the text, why did the Chinese government resort to using cosmic rays to find Qin Shi Huang’s tomb?
9. Which of the following words best describes the overall tone of this text towards the possibility of archaeologists discovering Qin Shi Huang’s tomb?
A. critical
B. pessimistic
C. hopeful
D. none of the above
Answers
1. They were lined up in an organised fashion.
2. breakthrough
3. horse and ox-drawn chariots
4. Emperor Wu riding a sheep-drawn carriage every evening to take a tour of his palace complex.
5. B
6. A
7. It suggests China was trading with West Asia during the Qin dynasty.
8. because it is hidden in a location that cannot be found using conventional/traditional methods
9. D