At Home in Her Tomb Lady Dai and the Ancient Chinese Treasures of Mawangdui [Hardcover]

Unearth the mysteries of the Mawangdui tombs and take a sneak peek at life in Han dynasty China!

This middle-grade chapter book unearths one of China’s top archaeological finds of the last century. Miniature servants, mysterious silk paintings, scrolls of long-lost secrets, and the best preserved mummy in the world (the body of Lady Dai) are just some of the artifacts that shed light upon life in China 2200 years ago. Illustrations include archival photographs as well as gorgeously rendered illustrations of Lady Dai's life. 

Back matter includes historical notes on the Qin and Han Dynasties, a time line, glossary, author’s note, bibliography, quotation sources, and an index.Introduction: Face-to-Face with Lady Dai…..4; Chapter 1: Excavation of a Time Capsule…..6; Chapter 2: The Mysterious Cadaver…..18; Chapter 3: A House Underground…..26; Chapter 4: All the Comforts of Home…..34; Chapter 5: Lady Dai's Silk Treasures…..44; Chapter 6: Library of Silk and Bamboo.....52; Conclusion: Time Capsule of Mawangdui.....62; Historical Note: Legacy of the Qin and Han Dynasties.....64; Time Line of the Qin and Early Han Dynasties.....72; Glossary.....74; Author's Note.....76; Sources of Quotations.....77; Selected Bibliography.....78; Index.....80*Debut author Liu-Perkins' infectious curiosity shines in this exploration of a Han dynasty burial chamber excavated in 1972. The best preserved body in the world. This honor goes to no ordinary mummy. It belongs to the remains of one Chinese woman known as the Marchioness of Dai, or Lady Dai. Buried beneath two hills called Mawangdui, Lady Dai's tomb held three nobles: the marquis Li Cang, his wife, Lady Dai, and apparently one of their sons. As archaeologists dug through layers of white clay and charcoal, they uncovered more than 3,000 astonishingly well-preserved artifacts. Most amazing of all was Lady Dai's body. After being buried for almost l½