Historians generally agree that archaeological discoveries are the only way to uncover the truth of history. Because in the process of archaeology, we can find physical evidence left over from history, which is more convincing and objective than written records.
And in the archaeological history of our country, there has been such an ......
Archaeological excavations are one of the most important tools in historical research, but in China's archaeological history, the excavation of the Ming Tomb in 1956 has taught us a painful lesson.
At that time, due to the country's immature archaeological technology and imperfect measures for the protection of various cultural relics, most archaeologists led by the director of the Cultural Bureau of the Ministry of Culture resolutely opposed the development and excavation of the imperial tombs.
However, historians mainly Wu Han and Guo Moruo insisted on excavating despite opposition. After a year of hard work, the entrance of the Ming Emperor Mausoleum was finally opened, and the Ming Emperor's Mausoleum, which had been sealed for hundreds of years, finally faced the world.
However, this incident also brought great losses to the country and the imperial mausoleum itself.
After the mystery of the Ming Ding Mausoleum was revealed, it lived up to expectations. Historians and archaeologists have discovered countless precious historical artifacts, and the number of unearthed artifacts has reached thousands.
This archaeological discovery amazed not only the staff and historians at the site, but also the world. The excavation of these artifacts indicates a major step forward in the study of historical dynasties in China, and provides strong evidence for a better understanding of the historical events of the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty.
At the same time, these artifacts also reveal some unknown Ming Dynasty history for us. These discoveries have played an extremely important role in historical research, however, it is regrettable that due to the backwardness of China's archaeological and technical conditions and the influence of the social environment at that time, many precious cultural relics have not been best protected, such as some particularly precious calligraphy, painting and silk, which have disappeared before they came out.
During this special period, many of the precious artifacts in this imperial tomb have not been preserved. This is already very sad, and what is even more sad is that the historical artifacts that have been preserved with the painstaking efforts of many historians have been damaged to varying degrees in the subsequent stages.
These cultural relics were discarded in the courtyard and no one cared for or managed them, and even the coffin boards of Wanli were chopped into firewood by the villagers. As helpless as we feel, history cannot be changed after all.
This experience made us deeply realize how important the superior archaeological conditions and rich archaeological experience are for the protection and excavation of cultural relics. If the excavation had been carried out by a well-established archaeological team with advanced archaeological equipment, the artifacts might have been well preserved and the tragedies might not have happened.
The failure of the development and excavation of the Ming Ding Mausoleum has brought us valuable lessons. However, while this failure cannot be reversed, we must learn from this failure and work to protect and rescue the artefacts and ensure that they are well preserved.
Archaeological excavations are an important way to unravel the mysteries of ancient history, but we must remember that conservation always comes first. Despite the high value of archaeological excavations, we cannot arbitrarily excavate ancient tombs for the sake of short-term gain.
True archaeological research should be premised on conservation, not relying solely on the excavation of mausoleums to prove its worth. For true archaeology enthusiasts, historical relics are the source of archaeology, and how to effectively protect them is the meaning of our existence.
Although the development and excavation of the mausoleum is controversial and dangerous, the pros and cons behind it are difficult to evaluate. We can only learn from the failures of the past and refrain from scientific excavations of any mausoleum on the basis of the technical conditions and the perfection of facilities.
We must prevent the recurrence of the opportunity of people with bad intentions and the historical tragedy of the Ming Emperor's Mausoleum. The country can no longer afford such a loss, so we must resolutely avoid such a situation.
According to the report, the famous archaeologist Wang Zhongshu came to a conclusion after the excavation of the Ming Emperor's Mausoleum and published a passage.
With the approval of the Prime Minister, the archaeological community left a rule that from now on, discoveries in China's archaeological history must be strictly approved and verified to ensure the authenticity of history.
While history cannot be changed, we can ensure that it is accurately recorded and passed on.