Fu Hao died c 1200 BC, posthumous temple name Mu Xin, was one of the many wives of King Wu Ding of the Shang dynasty and served as a military general and high priestess.
14 Facts About Fu Hao
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The Tomb of Fu Hao was unearthed intact in 1976 at Yinxu by archaeologist Zheng Zhenxiang, with treasures - known as her 700+ jade objects, and her collection of more than 500 bone objects, such as oracle bones.
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The tomb of Fu Hao provides the most insight into her life, her relationship with the royal family, and her military role and achievements - as the objects she was buried with provide clues to her activities and interests.
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Fu Hao entered the royal household through such a marriage and took advantage of the semi-matriarchal slave society to rise through the ranks to become one of King Wu Ding's three consorts.
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Fu Jing was the primary queen while Fu Hao was the secondary queen.
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Since each Chinese character like Fu often has variable meanings, even with the oracle bones of Shang deciphered, it is possible that women like Fu Hao were originally priestesses instead of the king's wives; she just happened to marry the king later.
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The Shang dynasty had two most important activities: ritual matters and battles; Lady Hao played extraordinary roles in both at that time.
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Fu Hao is known to modern scholars mainly from inscriptions on Shang dynasty oracle bone artifacts unearthed at Yinxu.
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Remarkably, after her death Fu Hao was buried in a tomb on her land across the river from the main royal cemetery, even though usually the royal families were buried together.
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Fu Hao died well in advance of King Wu Ding, who constructed her tomb at his capital Yin.
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Fu Hao was buried with a large and varied quantity of weapons signifying her important martial status, since only warriors and generals were buried with such objects.
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Additionally, Fu Hao was entombed with hundreds of bronze, jade, bone, and stone objects such as figurines, vessels, and mirrors, many of which were rare objects from around the kingdom.
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The sacrificial bronze vessels and tortoise shells inscribed prepared by Fu Hao discovered in her tomb are further evidence of her status as a high priestess and oracle caster.
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The remains of Fu Hao herself were found to have disintegrated.