Constructing Heaven: Ceilings of the Stone Tombs in Northeast Asia (1st to 7th Century CE)

Research reveals that the Province of You, encompassing modern Beijing and surrounding regions, served as a pivotal hub for the dissemination of sophisticated stone tomb ceiling techniques from Shandong to Goguryeo during the 2nd to 5th centuries CE. These stepped ceilings, initially flourishing in Eastern Han Dynasty tombs, were likely adopted by officials seeking to emulate afterlife shelters amid societal instability. The study suggests that syncretism between Buddhism and traditional beliefs in the immortal land of Xiwangmu (Queen Mother of the West) drove their popularity as worship spaces. While earlier assumptions linked Goguryeo tombs directly to Shandong prototypes, this work proposes a more complex, regionally mediated transmission process.

Chen, X. (2023). Constructing Heaven: Ceilings of the Stone Tombs in Northeast Asia (1st to 7th Century CE). Religions, 14(12), 1455. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14121455