Gao Mausoleum of Cao Cao

Cao Cao’s tomb, known as the Gao Mausoleum of Cao Cao, is located in Xigaoxue Village, Anfeng Township, Anyang City, Henan Province. According to historical records such as the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao passed away in Luoyang in 220 CE, and his coffin was buried in the hills west of the Memorial Temple of Ximen Bao in ancient Ye County (now Linzhang County). However, since the Song Dynasty, the exact location of his tomb had been lost to history, giving rise to the legend of the "seventy-two suspected tombs". Between 2008 and 2009, the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology excavated two tombs in Xigaoxue Village. Among them, Tomb No. 2 was identified as the burial site of Cao Cao, the renowned politician, military strategist, and litterateur in Chinese history. This is the excavation brief of Cao Cao's tomb, which provides details on various aspects, including an overview of the Cao Wei regime, the surrounding environment and historical evolution of the Gao Mausoleum of Cao Cao, the discovery and reasons for the excavation of the site in Anyang, the excavation process, and the structural characteristics of Tomb No. 2.