Three-Storied Watchtower With Figures
Han Dynasty, China
A.D. 25-220
Copyright Warren King

in China, about 2,000 years ago, people spent much of their lives preparing for their death! Rich people were buried with things from their daily lives, like horses, pigs, fancy clothes, and even servants.
They weren't buried with their real animals and servants, though -- they were buried with small-scale copies made of wood, bronze, or clay, like this watchtower. The Chinese believed that when you died, your spirit traveled to another world, but your body stayed behind in the tomb where it needed these things for comfort and support.

Real watchtowers that looked like this miniature copy were always found on rich people's land. From the tower, the master of the estate could keep guard over his property.

This tower was made by rolling out flat pieces of clay for each wall and cutting out openings for the windows and doors. Next, the tower was baked in a special oven called a "kiln." After that, it was painted with a special type of paint called a "glaze" and baked again! The heat of the kiln made the glaze turn green.

How is the tower decorated -- what special details make it more interesting?

Watchtowers like this one were believed to keep a person safe in his tomb by guarding him against evil spirits or ghosts. People believed that evil spirits only traveled in straight lines. The two small doors into the front yard (the keyhole-shaped opening in the fence is a window, not a door) don't line up with the central door to the tower. This is to prevent evil spirits from entering. The curly decorations on the roof are there because people believed that they, too, would keep evil sprits away.


The picture on the left is a sketch of a tomb dating from the Han Dynasty. This tomb most certainly would have been the burial place of a rich landowner.