A team of researchers delved into the enigmatic origins of two ancient skeletons from China, each missing portions of their lower legs upon burial. Through meticulous analysis of these human remains, they ascertained that the individuals were aristocratic men who lived during the Eastern Zhou dynasty (771—256 BC), approximately 2,500 years ago. Astonishingly, the study authors posit that these men had their legs amputated as punishment for transgressions, but were subsequently allowed to live out their lives in freedom and comfort.
This theory, while seemingly extraordinary, aligns with the practice of amputation as a form of punishment prescribed by Chinese authorities during the Eastern Zhou era. This legalized mutilation, known as “yue,” originated in ancient China during the Xia dynasty (2,100—1,600 BC), persisting for two millennia before its eventual abolition by the Han dynasty in the second century BC. “Such discoveries, along with other previous findings, reflect the harshness of the penal system in early China,” remarked Qian Wang, the lead study author and a professor of biomedical sciences at Texas A&M University School of Dentistry, in an interview with Live Science.
The skeletons of these two men were excavated from an ancient burial site in east-central China’s Henan Province. Each skeleton was found within an elaborate double-layered coffin, oriented in a north-south direction, a practice reserved for individuals of high social status. They were accompanied by an assortment of grave goods, including pottery, stone tablets, and copper belt hooks.
To unravel the identities and experiences of these individuals, the researchers employed various advanced analytical techniques, such as computed tomography (CT) scans and radiocarbon dating, to examine their bones. This approach revealed that the skeletons belonged to two middle-aged men, approximately 40 and 50 years old, who lived during the reign of Eastern Zhou around 550 BC. Chemical analysis of their bones indicated that they consumed a diet rich in proteins and essential plant nutrients, consistent with the dietary patterns of the Eastern Zhou aristocratic class.
Crucially, each skeleton exhibited the absence of the lower section of one leg, with one individual missing the left leg and the other missing the right. The ends of the lower leg bones (tibia and fibula) had healed evenly and completely, indicating that the amputations were not hastily or haphazardly performed. The precision of the amputations suggests surgical skill, and the subsequent care provided to the men prevented infection or other complications.
The combined evidence from the original excavations and subsequent analysis strongly suggests that these were men of high social status who maintained that status despite their leg amputations. In an article published in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, the researchers concluded that the men had been subjected to “punitive amputation for felonies.” They noted that the “bioarchaeological evidence corroborated with historic written records of law and punishment from the penal system of the Zhou Dynasty,” while also emphasizing that “the individuals were allowed to recover, and they continued to live for years.”
The researchers ruled out the possibility that the amputations were the result of traumatic injuries, congenital limb deficiencies, or sacrificial practices, as none of these explanations were supported by the available evidence. They further inferred, based on historical records and the writings of the ancient Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi, that the two men were likely low-ranking officers or administrators, making them subject to punitive amputation for serious offenses despite their elite status.
According to Qian Wang, the Zhou legal code prescribed amputation as an appropriate punishment for a range of felonies, including theft, dereliction of duty, and lying to the monarch. In some cases, amputation served as a more lenient alternative to the death penalty or prolonged imprisonment, especially for influential individuals accused of crimes.
While amputation as punishment may seem barbaric by contemporary standards, it was not perceived as such in the Zhou culture. Amputation was employed as a substitute for imprisonment, not as an additional form of torture or humiliation. The individuals in this study received high-quality medical care following their amputations and did not face further sanctions beyond this severe procedure. As the researchers note, “these cases enrich our understanding of the physical consequences of lower limb amputation and illuminate the social context of amputation during ancient times.”
