A Study on the Sacrifice Remains of Mound Tombs

Sacrifices were often held at a certain time of funeral ceremonies. The positioning of the sacrifice goods and the sacrifice pits seemed also following certain rules. Four forms of sacrifice remains are commonly seen in mound tombs in Jiangnan area: sacrifice within the tomb, sacrifice in front of the tomb,sacrifice on the top of the mound, and sacrifice at the foot of the mound. The under-tomb structural remains,human sacrifice remains and burning sacrifice remains may be related to the sacrifice activities in funerals.