During the Shang and Zhou periods, in order to serve in the afterlife, aristocrats, attendants, servants, soldiers, women, musicians, and, yes, horses, were sacrificed and buried with the deceased members of the royal family.
商周時期，諸侯、侍從、僕役、士兵、女人跟馬常常成為殉葬的犧牲者，以在來世生活中，服侍駕崩的統治者、公主嬪妃、或是侯爵，有時候樂師也在陪葬之列。