Overview
Key data
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Excavated | 1973, Mawangdui tomb 3, Changsha, Hunan |
| Date | c. 168 BCE |
| Material | Silk manuscript, pictures and text side by side |
| Contents | Divination by clouds, vapours, comets and stars |
| Publication | The Mawangdui Han Tomb Silk Manuscripts |
Form
The manuscript sets pictures and explanations side by side: the pictures show the forms of clouds, vapours and comets, the text gives the prognostication.
There are several dozen pictures, each with its text — an early instance of the “chart and prognostication” line.
The comet drawings
The comets drawn in the manuscript differ in form: single-tailed, double-tailed, forked-tailed,
and several of the forms agree with the actual appearance of comet tails as observed today.
These are the earliest surviving depictions of comet forms, physical evidence for the history of comet morphology.
Value
Divination by astronomy and weather was a major class of ancient lore; transmitted texts often keep only its titles and not its pictures.
This manuscript has both text and image, and is the only early object for studying this knowledge and its pictorial tradition.
Compiled and arranged by Chujia Kuang.