Introduction to the historical background of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor Why the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor dare not be excavated
The Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin in Xi'an is also very impressive. The Terracotta Warriors and Horses were excavated in about 1974. There are three pits in total. Pit No. 1 is the largest, facing west to east. The pit is about five meters deep. The largest pit is 13,000 square meters, and the infantrymen inside all look equally mighty! Brief introduction to the historical background of Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum. Why do you not dare to dig the Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum?
The Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang is the tomb of the first emperor Yingzheng (259 BC to 210 BC) in Chinese history. It is located at the northern foot of Lishan Mountain, 5 kilometers east of Lintong District, Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province.
The Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang was built over a period of 39 years from 246 BC to 208 BC. It is the first large-scale and well-designed imperial mausoleum in Chinese history. There are two layers of rammed earth walls inside and outside, symbolizing the imperial city and palace city of the capital. The mausoleum is located in the south of the inner city. It is in the shape of an overturned bucket. It is 51 meters high and has a base circumference of more than 1,700 meters. According to historical records, various palaces were built in the Qin Mausoleum, displaying many strange treasures. There are a large number of burial pits and tombs of different shapes and connotations scattered around the Qin Mausoleum. More than 400 of them have been discovered, including the world-famous "Eighth Wonder of the World" Terracotta Warriors and Horses pit.
The Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang is one of the largest, most unique and richest imperial tombs in the world. It fully demonstrates the ingenious artistic talents of the working people of the Han nationality in ancient China more than 2,000 years ago, and is the pride and precious wealth of the Chinese nation.
Geographical environment
The Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin is surrounded by the mountainous and lush Li Mountain to the south, and to the north is the winding and winding mountain like a silver snake lying on the shore of the Wei River. The tall tomb is surrounded by towering peaks and is integrated with Lishan Mountain. It has beautiful scenery and unique environment.
The First Emperor of Qin was in power in the capital city of Xianyang, but the cemetery was located in Lishan Mountain, far away from Xianyang. The reason for this is explained by Li Daoyuan of the Northern Wei Dynasty: "The First Emperor of Qin had a grand burial and built a tomb on Lirong Mountain, named Lantian. Its yin is full of gold and its yang is full of beautiful jade. The first emperor was greedy for its good name, so Buried."
Li Daoyuan's views are affirmed by most scholars in the academic world. However, some scholars have raised objections. Those who hold negative opinions believe that the selection of Qin Shihuang's mausoleum in Lishan Mountain was firstly determined by the etiquette at the time, and secondly, it was influenced by the traditional concept of "building a mausoleum according to the mountain".
The ancestors of Qin Shi Huang and the Queen Mother are buried in the Zhiyang area to the west of Linzhang County. The choice of Qin Shi Huang’s cemetery on Lishan Mountain to the east of Zhiyang was determined by the etiquette of the time, because the tombs of ancient emperors They are often arranged according to their dignity and rank when they lived during their lifetime. Books such as "Book of Rites" and "Erya" record: "South, north, and west are the top." "The southwest corner is called this secret, where you respect your elders." The record in the Eastern Han Dynasty's "Lunheng" is even more clear: "The west of the husband is the place of the elders and the position of the venerable. The venerable is in the west, and the humble is in the east... The husband's tomb is where the dead are hidden; the fields are where the people live." Food, house, and place for people to live, the three are related to people, and it is better to eliminate evil." Even the Empress Dowager Xuan in Zhiyang also hoped that her mausoleum could be buried between her husband and son, that is, "Look to the west for my husband, and look to the east." "My son" seems to be based on the principle that the elders should live in the west and the younger ones should live in the east. The ancestors of Qin Shihuang have confirmed that those buried in Zhiyang include King Zhaoxiang of Qin, King Zhuangxiang of Qin and Queen Mother Xuan of Qin. Since the tombs of our ancestors are all buried to the west of Linzhang County, the younger Qin Shihuang can only be buried to the east of Zhiyang. If the tomb is located to the west of Zhiyang, it would obviously go against the traditional etiquette. It can be seen that the choice of the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang at the foot of Lishan Mountain completely complies with the etiquette of younger generations living in the east.
The Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang is adjacent to Lishan Mountain in the south and Weishui River in the north, and this area has a beautiful natural environment. In the entire Lishan Mountain, only the section from Lintong County to Ma'e in the east has a higher altitude, with undulating mountains and layers of mountains. Viewed from a distance from the north bank of the Wei River, this section of the mountain range is symmetrical, like a huge screen standing behind the Mausoleum of the First Emperor. Looking south from the top of the mausoleum, this section of the mountain range is arc-shaped. The Emperor's Mausoleum is surrounded by mountains of Lishan Mountain. , integrated with the entire Lishan Mountain.
There is an artificially modified fish pond on the east side of Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum. According to the "Shui Jing Zhu" records: "The water comes out of the northeast of Lishan Mountain, and its original source flows north. Later, the First Emperor of Qin was buried in the north of the mountain. The water passed through and meandered, turning east to the north. The First Emperor built a mausoleum and took out soil. The land was deep, and the water The pond is accumulated into a pond, which is called a fish pond... The water in the pond flows northwest and passes to the north of the Tomb of the First Emperor.
"It can be seen that the water in Yuchi originally came from the northeast of Lishan Mountain, and the water flowed from south to north. Later, when the Qin Shihuang Mausoleum was built, an east-west dam was built on the southwest side of the cemetery. The dam is more than 1,000 meters long and generally more than 40 meters wide. The widest With a height of more than 70 meters and a residual height of 2 to 8 meters, it is what people usually call the Wuling site. It is this dam that changes the Yuchi water that originally came from the northeast of Li to the northwest and flows around the northeast of Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum. p>
In addition, on the east side of the cemetery, there is an endless stream of hot spring water passing by. According to the "Shui Jing Zhu" record: "There is hot spring water in the southwest of Yuchi Water, which has been used to treat diseases." "San Qin Ji" said: " There are hot springs in the northwest of Lishan Mountain. "It can be seen that the hot springs at that time corresponded to the fish pond water in the northwest.
From this, we can see the geographical characteristics of Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum: it is backed by mountains in the south, surrounded by water on three sides on the east and west sides and in the north." Surrounded by mountains "Water" is the Feng Shui treasure land specially chosen for the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor.
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor is located in the terracotta warriors and horses of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor in Lintong District, 35 kilometers east of Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province. It was built between 246 BC and 208 BC. Nearly 8,000 pottery figurines and horses that are similar in size to real people and horses have been discovered. There are different types of soldiers, such as chariots and cavalry, and the figures are arranged in order and have different images. "The Eighth Wonder of the World" and "One of the Great Discoveries in the Archaeological History of the 20th Century"
Introduction to the excavation process:
In March 1974, 1.5 kilometers away from the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin. In the south of Xiyang Village, more than a dozen villagers, including Yang Zhifa and Yang Peiyan, started a drought-resistant well digging project in a persimmon forest where crops did not grow. When they dug to a depth of 2 meters, they found lumps of braised earth; 3 meters deep. At a depth of 4-5 meters, they found brick paved floors, copper arrowheads, copper crossbows, and eight broken pottery figurines. They stopped the project and immediately reported it to the local authorities. Report. Later, cultural relics and archeology expert Zhao Kangmin collected the lost cultural relics and made preliminary cleanup. At the same time, Xinhua News Agency reporter Lin Anwen returned to his hometown of Lintong to visit relatives. He referred the news of the large pottery figurines found in the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang to the People's Daily. Li Xiannian saw the report materials and immediately gave instructions: "It is recommended that the Cultural Relics Bureau consult with the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee to take measures quickly to properly protect this important cultural relic. "The State Administration of Cultural Heritage immediately sent relevant experts to inspect the site.
On July 15, 1974, the Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage sent a Qin Terracotta Warriors archaeological team to the excavation site. Subsequently, teachers and students from the archeology major of Northwest University They also came to support, and they cleared out more than 500 pottery figurines that looked like real horses, 24 pottery horses, 6 wooden chariots and a large number of bronze weapons, chariots and horses in the 965-square-meter test excavation area. After excavation and drilling, the No. 1 Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit has a total area of 14,260 square meters and contains about 6,000 pottery figurines and horses. In 1976, the State Council decided to build an exhibition hall on the No. 1 Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit site on April 23, 1976. During the infrastructure construction project, Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit No. 2 was discovered on the north side of the east end of Pit No. 1. Then, on May 11 of the same year, Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit No. 3 was discovered on the north side of the west end of Pit No. 1.
In 1986, archaeological experts conducted a second excavation of the central and northern parts of Pit No. 1, covering an area of 2,000 square meters. However, it was stopped midway for unknown reasons and lasted only one year.
On June 13, 2009, after receiving the qualification to lead the archaeological team, the Qin Shihuang Mausoleum Museum launched the third excavation of Qin Terracotta Warriors Pit No. 1. The excavation site is located in the middle section of the north side of Pit No. 1, and the archaeological number is T23. It covers an area of 400 square meters. By the end of 2012, 2 chariots, 3 groups of 12 pottery horses, more than 170 pottery figurines, and nearly 400 small objects (groups) had been unearthed; war drums, qiè, and weapons had been unearthed. There are dozens of important relics such as bows, crossbows, arrows, and Taos. A large number of painted Qin warriors were discovered during the excavation, and some of them were successfully preserved.
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum can be preserved. They are precious treasures of human culture in the world that are comparable to the Egyptian pyramids and ancient Greek sculptures. They fully demonstrate the ingenious artistic talents of the Chinese people more than 2,000 years ago and are the pride and precious wealth of the Chinese nation.
However, in the face of world-class treasures like the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang, neither domestic nor foreign archaeological circles dare to dig. This is like a eunuch guarding a beautiful woman without being able to kiss her. What a torment it must be. pain!
The archaeological team’s detection results show that the tomb is surrounded by a very thick palace wall. The intactness of the tomb has a lot to do with this palace wall. This newly discovered burial form is called "Qin Ling style".
How deep is the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin? In ancient times, due to technical limitations, it was not easy to construct under spring water. Moreover, if the underground palace is located below the groundwater table, long-term penetration of groundwater will definitely cause the underground palace to suffer "flooding". "Harmful, the designers of Qin Shihuang and his imperial mausoleum could not fail to take this into consideration. Of course, these are just speculations, and the specific situation is unknown.
What is the structure of the underground tomb? Judging from the excavated remains of Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum, it seems that Qin Shi Huang wanted to bring his palaces, mountains, rivers and other things to the underground world. To achieve this, it is not necessary to build The vast tomb is difficult to achieve.
The underground palace is the place where coffins and funerary objects are placed. It is the core of the Qin Emperor's mausoleum building. There have always been different opinions regarding the location of the Qin Mausoleum underground palace. There is an introduction to the depth of the underground palace of Qin Shihuang's mausoleum in the historical material "Han Jiu Yi": In 210 BC, Prime Minister Li Si reported to Qin Shihuang that he had brought 720,000 people to build the Lishan Mausoleum, and it had been dug very deep, as if It's like being underground.
After hearing this, Qin Shihuang ordered "to move aside for another three hundred feet or even more." The saying "three hundred feet away" makes the location of Qinling's underground palace even more confusing. Folk legend once said that the underground palace of the Qin Mausoleum is in Lishan Mountain. There is an underground passage between Lishan Mountain and the Qinling Tomb. Whenever it is cloudy and rainy, "yin soldiers" pass by in the underground passage, and it is very lively. It is reported that archaeologists have conducted many investigations based on this legend, but they have never been able to find this legendary underground passage
Is there mercury in the underground palace?
The detection results of the archaeological team It shows that mercury does exist in the underground palace, and it is stronger in the southeast and southwest and weaker in the northeast and northwest. In "Historical Records", "mercury is used to make hundreds of rivers, rivers and seas" initially proved.
The mercury in the palace is used to prevent corrosion and theft. According to the "Historical Records - The Chronicles of Qin Shihuang", the underground palace "uses mercury to protect hundreds of rivers, rivers and seas".
Liu Shiyi, a researcher at the China Geological Survey Institute, said that geophysical exploration has proved that there are indeed obvious mercury anomalies in the underground palace, and the distribution of mercury is strong in the southeast and southwest, and weak in the northeast and northwest. If the distribution of mercury is used to represent rivers and seas, this is consistent with the distribution positions of the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea in my country.
"Qin Shihuang once visited the Bohai Sea in person, so he probably included the Bohai Sea in his underground palace. If this is confirmed, it means that the Qin Dynasty had investigated and researched China's geography, which is also a new discovery. ." Liu Shiyi said.
The purpose of Qin Shihuang's use of mercury in rivers and seas was not only to create a magnificent natural landscape, but the mercury gas that filled the underground palace could also keep the buried corpses and funerary objects from decaying for a long time. Moreover, mercury is a highly toxic substance that can cause death if inhaled in large amounts. Therefore, the mercury in the underground palace can also poison tomb robbers.
How many tomb passages are there?
The archaeological team’s detection results showed that there are only two tomb passages, the east and the west. From the Shang and Zhou Dynasties to the Han Dynasty, the tombs of emperors usually had four passages: southeast, northwest and northwest. This new discovery has attracted great attention from experts.
A well-known media once reported that archaeologists used drilling methods to discover five tomb passages on the east side of the seal, and one on each of the west and north sides of the seal. Duan Qingbo, the leader of the archaeological team of the First Emperor's Mausoleum, clarified that according to the detection results, except for one tomb passage in the east and one in the west, the rest are some burial pits. From the Shang and Zhou Dynasties to the Han Dynasty, the tombs of emperors usually had four passages, running through the four directions of southeast, northwest and northwest respectively. This was a symbol of noble status and status, while the tombs of ordinary officials and common people had one or two passages. So far, only two east and west tomb passages have been discovered, but according to common sense, Qin Shihuang's tomb should have four.
Why not excavate the tomb of Qin Shihuang?
Because there is no such good preservation technology to fully preserve the excavated things. The Terracotta Warriors and Horses are simply faded due to insufficient technology. Some scholars believe that the terracotta warriors and horses are the burial group of the First Emperor.
The exact purpose of building the Terracotta Warriors and Horses array cannot be confirmed for the time being. Qin Shihuang, a great man of his generation, has many mysteries hidden in his tomb.
In addition to the burial pits, the remains of a stone processing plant were also found in the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang. The architectural relics include door anvils, column bases, tiles, ridges, tiles, stone waterways, pottery waterways, etc. The scale of Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum is obvious, but is there a blueprint for the design of Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum? According to historical records, "He sent Shui Xiangsi to convict 720,000 people from all over the world to build the mausoleum, and carved out the regulations." Judging from the scale of Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum, Construction is by no means random, it must be constructed in a planned manner according to the design drawings. Looking at the history of the construction of imperial tombs in the past dynasties, it is not difficult to imagine the connection. The specific design blueprint is still under further study.
Who presided over the construction of the Qin Shihuang Mausoleum? It is speculated that the Shaofu is in charge of the construction, and the national mausoleum should be managed by him. Of course, the highest management superior is still the truth, but the truth is that the truth is handled by the Shaofu on a day-to-day basis. However, there is another problem here, that is, the Shaofu official was named after the unification of the Qin Dynasty. Whether there was such an official position before the unification cannot be verified, but whether there was or not, there must be an organization that was responsible for the civil construction projects of the palace. As for the name of this organization, it remains to be further verified.