Tomb model of a watch tower

A tower of two stories, each protected by its own roof, stands in a bowl-shaped moat containing small models of swans, frogs, turtles, and fish. Perching birds and human sentries are located at the four corners of each level. Earthenware towers, such as the one seen here, are sometimes found among the grave goods in tombs from the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 C.E.), and are often covered in a green glaze that has developed a slight iridescence from prolonged burial. The Eastern Han was an unsettled period and these structures may represent the kind of fortified towers in which landowners and their families sought refuge during times of warfare and social turmoil. The balustrades and bracketing system of the roofs illustrate some basic elements of the Chinese architectural tradition during the first centuries of the common era.