The cultural relics controversy in Shigu

Controversy 1

The age of stone drum carving has never been determined. Wei Yingwu and Han Yu's "Song of Stone Drums" believe that it was carved during the period of King Xuan of Zhou Dynasty. Ouyang Xiu's "Stone Drum Postscript" "Wei" is also believed to be written by Shi Zhou during the reign of King Xuan of Zhou Dynasty. Luo Zhenyu's "Explanation of Stone Drum Inscriptions" thinks it is from the time of Duke Wen of Qin, and it is also said to be from the Southern and Northern Dynasties in the 6th century AD. Guo Moruo thinks it is from the time of Duke Xiang of Qin, and Tang Lan's examination of it is determined to be inscribed in the 11th year of Qin Xiangong's reign (374 BC). Ma Heng, the former director of the Palace Museum, determined that the stone drums were carved in the pre-Qin period in the "Shigu Wen Qin Carvings and Stone Research", but there are different opinions on the specific age.

Controversy 2: The 10 large stones should be arranged in order, and the 10 long poems engraved on the stone drums naturally have an order. Unfortunately, when the stone drum was discovered in the wilderness, no one paid attention to this detail. Later, it moved several times, making it even more difficult to verify. However, scholars in the past dynasties still named the stone drum based on the first two characters based on the text on it, namely Qianmiangu, Chegonggu, Tianchegu, Luanchegu, Linyugu, Zuoyuangu, Ershigu, and Majian Drum, Wu Shui Drum, Wu Ren Drum. Subsequently, epigraphers made various versions of their ordering, but none of them convinced the world.