Mercury - Rivers of Quicksilver

For centuries, alchemists believed that mercury could be turned into gold.  The First Emperor of China may have consumed mercury, in some form, believing it would help him live longer.  It did no good, and he died at age fifty.  All of his concubines, who bore him no children, were forced to join him in his tomb - while they were still alive.

Chroniclers said the emperor’s tomb contained rivers of mercury, representing the rivers of China.  Soil samples from the site, taken more than two thousand years after his death, tend to support the chronicles.

Learn the legends, watch interviews with mercury-seeking investigators and virtually visit the mounds near the presumed location of the First Emperor’s tomb in this video clip from Secrets of the First Emperor.

Credits

From, Secrets of the First Emperor.