Researchers have used DNA extracted from the remains of Emperor Wu of Zhou to create a portrait of him. Known for his significant contributions to unifying China during the 6th century, Emperor Wu of Zhou reigned during the Northern Zhou Dynasty from 560 until his death at the age of 36 in 578. He is renowned for establishing a powerful army and uniting northern China after defeating the Northern Qi Dynasty.
The cause of his untimely death has been the subject of debate among historians, with theories ranging from poisoning to illness. In 1996, archaeologists unearthed Emperor Wu’s tomb, which contained his remains, including a nearly intact skull that provided DNA for analysis. The genetic analysis allowed researchers to reconstruct his appearance and demonstrated that he had brown eyes, black hair, and dark skin similar to individuals in North and East Asia today. The study also revealed that Wu belonged to the Xianbei ethnic group, nomadic people who migrated from southern to northern China and intermingled with the Han population.
Contradicting prior assumptions about the Xianbei’s physical characteristics, the analysis indicated that Emperor Wu’s facial features aligned more closely with East Asian traits rather than the distinct appearance of the Xianbei, such as thick beards and blond hair. The DNA analysis further suggested that Wu likely succumbed to complications from a stroke, a conclusion that matched historical descriptions of his health issues, including symptoms like aphasia and sunken eyelids.
Moving forward, researchers intend to expand their investigation by studying individuals who resided in Chang’an, an ancient capital in northwest China that played a significant role in Chinese history as the starting point of the Silk Road. By delving deeper into the genetic makeup of past populations, they hope to gain further insights into ancient migration patterns and interactions between diverse groups in Eurasia.
Emperor Wu was known for his significant contributions to unifying China during the 6th century. He is recognized for establishing a powerful army and unifying northern China after defeating the Northern Qi Dynasty.
The cause of Emperor Wu’s untimely death has been a subject of debate among historians over time.
In 1996 archaeologists unearthed Emperor Wu’s tomb which contained his remains including nearly intact skull providing DNA for analysis.
The genetic analysis allowed researchers to reconstruct his appearance revealing he had brown eyes, black hair and dark skin similar to individuals in North and East Asia today.
Emperor Wu belonged to Xianbei ethnic group nomadic people who migrated from southern to northern China.
However contradicting prior assumptions about their physical characteristics; it was found that Wu’s facial features aligned more closely with East Asian traits than those unique features associated with Xianbei such as thick beards or blond hair.
Furthermore DNA analysis suggested that Wu likely succumbed due to complications from a stroke matching historical descriptions
