The Chinese civilization is one of the oldest civilizations in the world and has a long history. In China's 5,000-year history, there have been many splendid cultures, but they have all been lost to the dust with the passage of time.
The history we are familiar with today comes from historical documents recorded by scholars throughout the ages. There are also a large number of physical objects, including cultural relics, cultural relics, ruins, etc. These bamboo slips were one of the most important writing vehicles for ancient Chinese people before the invention of paper. In the vast sea of historical classics, words play an extremely important role.
Before the invention and popularization of paper, "since ancient times, contracts have mostly been written in bamboo slips". The ancients generally called the bamboo ones "Jane" and the wooden ones "Jane". Although there was paper, the ancients still used paper strips. It has a history of more than 3,000 years.
These simplified books have played a huge role in disseminating political, cultural, military, medical and other knowledge, and have become extremely valuable evidence for the study of history. Every time the ancient tombs are excavated, it is a great test for modern archaeologists, and it is very difficult, but they still regard it as a treasure. They are not the most valuable in the tomb of Liu He, Marquis of Nanchang, Jiangxi. It was just a blunder.
In March 2011, an ancient tomb on a mountain near Guanxi Village, Datangping Township, Xinjian District, Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, was reported by the public to have been stolen and excavated. The antiquities department immediately rushed to the site and began a years-long archaeological work.
Archaeologists carefully investigated, and it was not until 2015 that the main coffin chamber of the tomb of the Marquis of Haiyang was opened. The mud in the coffin was piled up and muddy. Archaeologists entered the site and carefully cleaned up, but did not notice a pile of black "dirt" on the ground. The on-site staff recalled that "the bamboo slips were piled up in the northwest corner of the corridor, looking like a pile of useless patent leather", and they almost disposed of it as sludge.
After Wu Shunqing, a top expert of the national team, arrived at the scene and determined that this pile of black "soil" was Han Jian. Subsequently, the bamboo slips were "escorted" to the research room by archaeologists. After cleaning and restoration, there are five pieces of soil and bamboo slips in the tomb. There are more than 1,000 pieces of bamboo and wooden slips.
These more than 5,000 bamboo slips are definitely the most valuable cultural relics of the tomb. They are very valuable, and the production of bamboo slips is also the largest among the unearthed cultural relics. In order to peel them off, it took more than a year, one hand at a time. Shake it, and one bamboo slip may become two.
During the peeling process, the staff also needs to extract the orthography image of each bamboo slip and then number each bamboo slip. Once the numbering is complete, it will be scanned by a 3D machine and its 3D data will be saved for subsequent use. The work is available for reference.
In the later stripping work, professionals found that most of the bamboo slips were so fragile that even basic stripping could not be carried out. The staff had to find other methods for chemical remediation, choosing from hundreds of enhancers, and finally replacing the water inside the bamboo slips with ethanol and higher alcohol filling dehydration, which made the bamboo slips strong enough to do the work that followed. Peeling work.
In the end, the first step of peeling alone took a year, and the subsequent cleaning, decolorization, and interpretation were even more complicated. The dust seems to be light and fluttering, but the dust attached to the bamboo slips needs to be gently brushed off with a soft brush with high toughness, otherwise the words on the bamboo slips will be destroyed.
Decolorization is even more magical. After decolorization, the dark bamboo slips turn beige and the handwriting becomes clear. Then use infrared to scan and save them. These are the bamboo slips that experts will eventually be able to decipher. After reading it, the staff realized that the historical value and significance brought by the words were immeasurable.
As of February 2019, since the excavation of the tomb of the Marquis of Haiyang in 2011, more than 10,000 pieces (sets) of precious cultural relics have been unearthed, including more than 2,000 pieces of exquisite jade objects such as chisele-shaped pendants and jade swords. The number of gold artifacts reached 378 pieces, practical chariot and horse burial pits, and even beautifully carved and gilded silver-seamed bronze chariot and horse ...... were unearthedThe Marquis of the Han Dynasty found in China.
In March 2019, the Institute of Unearthed Literature of Peking University, which is responsible for the interpretation of the text, announced more than 5,200 slips unearthed from the tomb of the Marquis of Haiding, which is a major stage achievement. The content covers "Lamentation", "Analects and Knowledge", "Zhou Yi", "Book of Rites", "Book of Filial Piety", "Book of Medicine", and "Book of Six Bo Chess".
Among them, the "Liubo Chess Chronicle" records a chess style, called "Liubo" chess, which is the first time it has been discovered. It provides good material materials for the study of social customs and even military system in the Han Dynasty. It is concluded that it belongs to the "Qi Lun" version of the Analects, which has been lost in 1800.
The bamboo slips unearthed from the tomb of the Marquis of Haiyang are of great significance. **The fourth episode of the first documentary on the restoration and protection of ancient books, "The Resurrection of Ancient Books", broadcast by the TV station, introduces the story of the "resurrection of bamboo slips". The process of resurrection of bamboo slips is very magical, which amazes ordinary people and realizes the hardships of the staff, but in their eyes, they are very happy because they are engaged in a very great job.