Scholars question authenticity of Cao Cao's tomb

• Source: Global Times
• [16:20 December 29 2009]
• Comments

A professor from Renmin University claimed Monday that there is not enough evidence to prove that the tomb discovered in Anyang, Henan Province is that of Cao Cao, a general in the Three Kingdoms period.

Yuan Jixi, a professor who specializes in literature of the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern dynasties said because the tomb had been raided several times before archaeologists started to excavate it, the unearthed artifacts are not decisive enough to indicate it was Cao's tomb, and could be fake. He adds that the position of the tomb is not exactly in line with historical records and ancient books from Cao Cao's time.

Gao Menghe, a professor from Fudan University agrees with Yuan, saying it's too soon to say for sure it is Cao Cao'tomb. He also calls for a DNA test on the unearthed skull to compare with the DNA of Cao's descendents.

However, Pan Weibin, the director of the Anyang Cao Cao' tomb archaeological team,  refused to respond to these doubts, claiming that Yuan's and Gao's opinions are unprofessional since they are not archaeologists.