Historical Osteobiographies from Ming-Period China

Abstract The Ming-period (1368−1644 C.E.) tombs at Upper Xuwucun, Shaanxi, yielded 23 skeletons and 4 carved stone epitaphs detailing the lives of those interred at the site. This is a rare case of linked skeletal, mortuary, and newly unearthed written records of individuals—the Zhang family—not previously known to history. Details of the epitaphs are presented, including age at death, gender, and life story, along with osteobiographies and trends in the skeletal population, including indications of antemortem trauma, benign neoplasms, and foot binding. Dimensions of gender and class specific to this historical context are inscribed in the epitaphs and in the skeletons, and together they constitute a more complete picture of the construction of social roles among Ming landowners in the rural Guanzhong Basin.