This silver seal has a square base with a turtle knob. The inscription, carved in negative relief, is the name of the sixth king of Chu, Liu zhu. Seals were symbolic of social status and were usually buried with their owners as tokens for the afterlife. The higher the individuals’ status, the more seals  were buried with him or her.

       In the intact tomb of the King fo Nanyue, 9 seals made of gold, jade and touquoise, most carved with name and title, were found in 3 lacquer boxes on top of his body.

       At Mancheng, in the intact tomb of Liu Sheng, the king of Zhongshan, 4 jade seals , 2 uncarved, were found. Nearby, in his queen’s tomb, 19 bronze seals, 2 with the name of thetomb owner, were buried in the main chamber.

       As most of the imperial tombs in Xuzhou were looted, few seals have survived. This silver seal was the only 1 found to support the tomb owners status that also matches the records in Sima Qian’s Shiji.