Dozens of earthen tombs created in ancient China for the Western Han and Song dynasties may have been designed to align with the North Star.

A new study investigating more than 40 of the so-called ‘Chinese Pyramids’ built after the famed funerary complex of the country’s first emperor has found that some are not oriented to the cardinal points – or the four main directions – as expected.

Instead, these appear to deviate significantly from where true north sat at the time, though each do so in the same way. 

In more than 40 tombs, each buried under a massive hill standing many meters high, members of the Western Han and Song dynasties buried emperors and some members of the royal families. The Maoling Mausoleum is pictured 

Over the course of Earth’s lifetime, our planet’s axis drifts slowly and steadily, in turn causing the celestial poles to shift.

While the North Pole now almost lines up with the North Star, called Polaris, this was not the case thousands of years ago, when the mausoleums were built.

According to a new study published in the journal Archaeological Research in Asia, ancient Chinese astronomers were aware of the movement of Earth’s axis.

Rather than lining the tombs up with the North Pole of the time, the researchers claim builders pointed their work toward Polaris – which would approach the north celestial pole many years down the line.

Through satellite images and field surveys, the study uncovered two ‘families’ of monuments in the northwestern region near Xian, along the Wei River.

Dozens of earthen tombs created in ancient China for the Western Han and Song dynasties may have been designed to align with the North Star (Polaris)

In more than 40 tombs, each buried under a massive hill standing many meters high, members of the Western Han and Song dynasties buried emperors and some members of the royal families.

The researchers say these burials were inspired by the burial site of the first Emperor of Qin, which is famously guarded by the Terracotta Army.

The study, which comes as part of larger research on astronomy and ‘feng shui’ in ancient Chinese imperial necropolises, found that one type of monument aligns with the cardinal points – north, south, east, and west.

This was to be expected, the team said, given the Chinese emperors’ belief that their power was a direct mandate of heaven.

But, the other came as more of a surprise.

The researchers say the burials were inspired by the burial site of the first Emperor of Qin, which is famously guarded by the Terracotta Army (shown)

WHAT IS THE TERRACOTTA ARMY? 

The Terracotta Army is a form of funerary art buried with the First Emperor in 210 to 209 BC and whose purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife.

Arguably the most famous archaeological site in the world, it was discovered by chance by villagers in 1974, and excavation has been on-going at the site since that date.

The 2,200-year-old terracotta army is seen at the Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum on July 15, 2005 

An extraordinary feat of mass-production, each figure was given an individual personality although they were not intended to be portraits.

Quin Shi Huang, for whom the Terracotta Army was built, illustrated

The figures vary in height according to their roles, with the tallest being the generals.

Current estimates are that there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried.

Since 1998, figures of terracotta acrobats, bureaucrats, musicians and bronze birds have been discovered on site.

They were designed to entertain the Emperor in his afterlife and they are of crucial importance to our understanding of his attempts to control the world even in death.

According to the team, the second family of monuments deviates to the west of north, when looking towards the structure.

The experts say this was no mistake.

At the time, the north celestial pole did not correspond to any star. But in the future, it would be approached by Polaris.

The researchers say the distance in degrees from which the celestial pole deviated from Polaris at the time lines up with the deviation seen in the Chinese pyramids.

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