The box that contained the cosmos

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:02]In the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, archaeologists found a lacquered wooden chest for storing clothes.

[00:00:09]Its purpose was written directly on the lid, "See Woo." But the most important thing was not inside the box.

[00:00:17]Painted across its surface was the oldest known star map in China.

[00:00:23]Around the massive character of [music] the Big Dipper appeared the name of the 28 lunar mansions arranged in a counter-clockwise [music] ring. On the sides, celestial guardians protected the cosmos itself, the green dragon of the east and the white tiger of the west.

[00:00:39]This was far more than a container for clothing.

[00:00:42]It was an astronomical instrument.

[00:00:45]Because the Marquis of Zeng did not only need a palace for the afterlife. [music] She needed a map of the universe.