Being female in Early Imperial China:Evidence from Elite tombs

This paper discusses material expressions of female identity and gender difference, as evidenced by a range of artifacts buried in the early Imperial tombs in central China. Three types of artifacts: textile-making tools, body adornments and funerary documents are used to demonstrate how artifacts can provide insights into representations of women in death. The study of material evidence reveals a different picture from historical texts. It challenges the traditional notion that women were absent from honorary rank and power that is present in transmitted literature. This study intends to draw more attention to the potential value of mortuary evidence in gender studies. During the Han period (206 BCE-220 CE), tombs deliberately evoked the dwelling of the living world, and the content in the tomb recorded how the surviving community constructed the identity of the deceased for eternity according to established social codes. The tomb of an elite woman, therefore, simultaneously presents a portrait of life, indicating her rank, identity and how she was recognised, perceived and idealized within the living culture.