Polo-Playing Chinese Noblewoman Found Buried With Donkeys

When the noblewoman's tomb was uncovered in 2012, researchers were stumped as to why she had been buried with the beasts of burden.

When researchers entered ancient noblewoman Cui Shi’s tomb in Xi’an, China in 2012, they were stunned to find it littered with donkey bones. Researchers thought it odd that a woman of such status would be buried among lowly animals like this.

But now, researchers believe that the noblewoman was an avid donkey polo player and wanted to be able to continue the game well into her afterlife. Their new research has since been published in the journal Antiquity .

“There was no reason for a lady such as Cui Shi to use a donkey, let alone sacrifice it for her afterlife,” said Songmei Hu, lead study author and Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology anthropologist, in a