West Han Dynasty

Height: 2cm   Side Lengh: 2.8cm

Unearthed from Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province in 1968

This seal was made of Hetian jade from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. With a monster-shaped protrusion as a knob the seal was inscribed with four characters Huang Hou Zhi Xi which indicates it is an empress’s seal. It was unearthed just 1km from Changling, the mausoleum of Emperor Gaozui’s wife. Therefore, it may have been used by Empress Lyu Zhi. The jade seal is one of the most important seals of the Western Han Dynasty which have ever been found.