They tower over some of the most tranquil countryside in rural China. They're giant, man-made mountains that hold the keys to a violent history scarcely imaginable in such peaceful surroundings. These are the ancient pyramids of a bygone era characterised by battles and bloodshed, as warring kingdoms wrangled with each other in a power struggle spanning generations.
Today, these huge structures present historians with some of the world's most fascinating and well-preserved examples of ancient tombs. Deep within the pyramids lie the mummies of early China's most important generals, emperors, lords and ladies; people for whom size definitely mattered, with the scale of their final resting place mirroring the magnitude of their status.
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