Talk about the heavens and the earth, tell the news, explain the flowers and the words and interesting things
Original text of Yangcheng School/Xia Yang
Recently, the archaeological journal “Huaxia Archaeology” published the “2016-2017 Archaeological Excavation Brief for Anyang Gaoling Cemetery Ruins”. The topic of “Cao Cao’s Tomb” that has been paid attention to for ten years has once again appeared in the public eye.
Staff in front of “Cao Cao’s Tomb” Photo/Xinhuanet
As a household name in China, Cao Cao’s past and afterlife were all very topical. Especially after his death, coupled with the legendary renderings of literary works and historical legends, it became more confusing. Legends such as “The Golden Captain” and “72 Suspicious Tombs” are the most talked about.
Stills/Data Pictures of the TV series “Jingjue Ancient City”
It has been 10 years since the initial discovery of the “Cao Cao’s Tomb”. Although Cao Cao’s tomb was officially recognized, it was questioned. Later, with the discovery of the new Cao Wei tomb, the chain of evidence became more and more complete, and the voices of doubt gradually weakened.
The arch of the front room of “Cao Cao’s Tomb” Photo/Xinhuanet
After the past ten years of exploration and controversy, we look back and think about: Why did the process of discovering and identifying Cao Cao’s tomb bend be full of twists and turns? How should we view the legends in history? How did the mysteries surrounding Cao Cao’s tomb come into being?
Cao Cao in film and television dramas/data picture
The discovery of “Gaoling” has caused ten years of controversy
Around 2008, a BabaylanThe large tomb was stolen. With the approval of the State Administration of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology carried out protective excavations. Shocking news came out at the archaeological discovery briefing held in Beijing in 2009: It was initially confirmed that the tomb was “Cao Cao Gaoling”!
Instructions for Archaeological Discovery/Southern Metropolis Daily
After expert demonstration, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage recognized this judgment. The excavation project was also rated as the “Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries in China in 2009” and became a national cultural heritage protection unit in 2013. But at the same time, various doubts are like floods, and there are also voices of criticism from well-known professors and scholars.
Some of the questions went beyond the scope of academic discussions, pointing out that the local government rashly concluded the “Cao Cao’s tomb” in order to seek economic benefits.
Photo of Cao Cao was painted in the Ming Dynasty/Cinema Materials and Pictures
The tomb was severely stolen during the archaeological excavation, and fortunately more than 200 artifacts were left. The most important ones are 7 engraved with inscriptions such as “King Wu of Wei is often used by Komiks, and “King Wu of Wei is often used by Tiger Spikes, and “Cinema. Among the cultural relics recovered by the police from the tomb robbers, there is also a stone pillow engraved with the “Stone of comforting the neck that King Wu of Wei often used.”
These are key cultural relics to determine the identity of the tomb owner. But some people questioned, how could I hold stone cards for every funeral item? In ancient times, bamboo slips were used to register burial objects, and Cao Wei also used stone tablets. Is it a regression in history? Some people also proposed the title of “King Wu of Wei” to confuse Yin and Yang names, and some even questioned that the stone tablet was suspected of being faked!
“”Stone plaque unearthed from Cao Cao’s tomb Picture/Dongfang Jinbao
In addition, some gold, silver and jade products were unearthed from the tomb. So some people questioned that this was inconsistent with the historical records of Cao Cao’s advocacy of burial, and it was inferred from this that this was not Cao Cao’s tomb.
Faced with various inclinations, the cultural relics and archaeology department chose to remain silent for a while to wait for more evidence to appear. After all, the identification of cultural relics requires objective and scientific, and anyone can express different opinions when the evidence is insufficient.
Celadon jars were unearthed from the tomb Photo/Henan Business Daily
In 2016, another large Cao Wei tomb was discovered in Xizhu Village, Luoyang, but due to serious excavation, the identity of the tomb owner has not been determined. The tomb was built in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, but it is different from the north and south directions of the Cinema Mausoleum of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and is the same as the “Cao Cao Tomb”.
The excavation site of Xizhu Village tomb Photo/Luoyang Evening News
According to the large tomb of Xizhu Village, a tomb of the east-west Cao Wei nobles was found in the Han imperial tomb in Shandong, Luoyang in 2009. The unearthed bronze seal shows that the owner of the tomb is Cao Xiu, a famous general of Cao Wei and the Grand Marshal of Cao Cao, who is the nephew of Cao Cao.
Cao Xiu in the TV series “Military Advisors Alliance”/Data picture
The bronze seal of “Cao Xiu” that proves the identity of the tomb owner/Xinhuanet
The most important information is that BabaylanThe same large stone plaque as the “Cao Cao Tomb” was unearthed from the large tomb of Xizhu Village. This cleared away the stone plaque of “Cao Cao Tomb” as a forgerysuspicion.
The low-value stone plaque unearthed from the Cao Wei tombKomiks is also consistent with Cao Cao’s advocacy of thin burials. However, all three large tombs were excavated and damaged seriously, and the unearthed cultural relics were limited, so it is still difficult to draw conclusions in some information. However, some scholars infer that perhaps the burial objects written on the stone tablets in the Cao Wei tomb may be just a name and have not been buried in the physical objects.
Stone plaques unearthed from the tomb of Xizhu Village/Data picture
Other burial vessels in the tomb are also mostly symbolic bright vessels, such as Gui and Bi, are made of stone, and the tripod is made of pottery. The burial tripod is the exclusive treatment of the emperor. The pottery tripod is replaced by a bronze tripod, which is not only in line with the regulations but also incompletely burial!
The ritual utensil is a pottery picture of Komiks Photo/@Henan Business Daily
The ritual utensils are made of stone Komiks Photo/Today’s Morning News
Do gold, silver and jade unearthed from the “Cao Cao’s tomb” violate the style of burial? Archaeological experts explained that these are all accessories on the clothes of the tomb owner when he was buried, such as gold buttons, gold wire, etc., and are not burial objects. This is consistent with the saying that “dwelling with the current clothes” in Cao Cao’s order.
A small amount was unearthedJade agate products Photo/China News Service
The historical facts are clear, why is there still a legend of “72 doubts tombs”?
When the archaeological community identified the “Cao Cao’s tomb”, there were many doubts from all walks of life, which was also related to the mystery of the Cao Cao’s tomb itself. It is said that there are “72 doubtful tombs” in Cao Cao’s tomb. How can such a secret tomb be easily found? Therefore, there is natural opposition in the official recognition of the people, and even doubts about the accuracy and objectivity of archaeological excavation information.
The tomb passage of “Cao Cao Cao’s Tomb” Photo/China News Service
Cao Cao Cao is famous in Chinese history and culture. There are many factors in this, from historical facts on the one hand, and from literary legends and folk legends on the other.
Cao Cao in history was an outstanding politician, military strategist and writer. However, since the Northern Song Dynasty, due to political needs and literary preferences, the treacherous and suspicious side of Cao Cao’s personality was magnified, and his image was stereotyped as a treacherous hero. The unknown site of his tomb also caused him to take the blame, becoming a proof of his treacherous. The poem “Cao Cao’s suspicion tomb” by Yu Yingfu of the Song Dynasty says: “I deceived the heavens and the Han throne before my lifetime, and deceived others and set up suspicion tombs after my death.”
Statue of Cao Cao/Data Picture
In the Ming Dynasty, Luo Guanzhong’s “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” established Shu Han as orthodox, used literary techniques to exaggerate Cao Cao’s treacherous character, and designed the plot of Cao Cao’s last order setting up 72 suspicion tombs west of Yecheng. There is an article in Pu Songling’s “Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio” “Cao Cao Tomb”, which follows this statement and says that Cao Cao’s tomb may add a layer of mystery to the “72 doubts tombs”.
Stills from the TV series “ThreeCinemaRomance of the Kingdom”
About Cao Cao’s tomb, four legends are circulated among the people in Yecheng: one says that “72 suspected tombs” are located west of Yecheng, and the other says that Cao Cao’s tomb is inAt the bottom of the Zhanghe River, the third theory is outside Xuchang City, and the fourth theory is under the Tongquetai in Yecheng.
At the side of the Zhang River west of Yecheng, there are indeed groups of ancient tombs distributed, which is the location of Cao Cao’s “72 doubts tombs” (actually 134) legendary. However, it has been confirmed that it belongs to the Northern Dynasties tomb group, and the tomb of the Lanling King is among them.
Lanling King/Data Picture in Film and Television Drama
Why is the theory of doubting the tomb widely circulated? Some scholars analyzed that this is related to people’s wishes. Influenced by artistic works and folk legends, ordinary people thought Cao Cao was treacherous and were willing to believe that he would set up suspicious tombs.
However, to determine that tombs are serious academic issues, a rigorous and scientific attitude must be maintained. In the face of this kind of problem, we must break the boundaries between Qing literature, legends and official history, and return to history itself to explore historical figures.
The picture of Cao Cao in Peking OperaBabaylan/International Online
In fact, if we look at Cao Cao’s tomb from a historical perspective, we will find that it is not mysterious and the clues are quite clear. In his later years, Cao Cao issued the “End Order” to arrange his funeral, saying that “the west of Ximen Bao Temple is Shouling”; before his death, he also said in the “Legend Order” that “buried in Xigang in Ye, similar to the Ximen Bao Temple.”
Historical materials from later generations show that Cao Cao was not a secret burial after his death, and no doubt was set up. Records of “The Three Kingdoms” and “Book of Jin” and other records that in 220 AD, Cao Cao died in Luoyang, and his coffin was transported back to Yecheng and buried in the hills west of the Leopard Temple in the West Gate of Yecheng.
The ruins of Yecheng are in Linzhang, Hebei Province today/Data map
Until the Tang Dynasty, people had no doubt about the location of Cao Cao’s tomb. When Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin passed by Yecheng when he was expeditioning Goryeo, he also worshiped Cao Cao’s tomb and wrote a tribute. This shows that at least in the Tang Dynasty, the location of Cao Cao’s tomb was very clear.
However, because Cao Cao’s tomb is “not sealed or treed”, there is no obvious sign on the surface of Komiks. It gradually disappeared in the mountains and fields over time, and the specific location is difficult to explain. Especially the Ximen Bao Temple, which is used as a reference for its location, was later found in the ground buildings, which made Cao Cao’s tomb a mystery.
Schematic diagram of the location of “Cao Cao’s tomb”/data picture
Strive to counter tradition and lead the trend of “thin burial” for 400 years
Cao Cao advocated thin burial. Before he died, he issued the “Legislative Order”, requiring him to “bury with his time clothes” and “no gold and jade treasures” after his death. His son followed his will. Cao Pi’s “Statement” and Cao Zhi’s “Essay” describe the funeral and the burial of Babaylan, and he wore repaired clothes during the burial.
The scene of Cao Cao’s funeral in film and television dramas/data picture
Cao Shuo was a hero of a generation and “used the emperor to command the princes”, but he was actually the master of the Han world. Although he was just the “King of Wei” during his lifetime, he actually enjoyed the treatment of an emperor. Shortly after his death, his son Cao Pi deposed Emperor Xian of Han and established the Cao Wei regime, and posthumously named him “Emperor Wu of Wei”. There is indeed a similar manifestation in the information of the tomb in Xigaoxue Village. The scale of the tomb did not reach the imperial level, but it was buried with the emperor’s exclusive “die”.
The Tomb of Xigaoxue Village Photo/Xinhuanet
Cao Cao advocates thin burial, showing the spirit of a generation of heroes. After all, Chinese culture respects filial piety, and emperors “govern the world with filial piety”, so descendants always have to bury their ancestors to show their filial piety.
The tradition of grand burials of emperors in China has a long history. Qin Shihuang’s underground Terracotta Warriors and Horses shocked the world. Emperor Wu of Han used one-third of the world’s taxes to repair Maoling. The princes of the Han DynastyWang Liusheng wore a golden jade robe when he was buried. The underground palace of Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty Zhaoling was “not different from the world”…
Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang in Xi’an Picture/Visual China
Why did Cao Cao advocate thin burial? There are many reasons. Objectively speaking, there were many wars and chaos in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and the people’s livelihood in the Central Plains was in decline. “The army was in the fifteenth and the army was invincible,” and “the bones were exposed in the wild, and there was no rooster crowing thousands of miles.” Cao Cao’s advocacy of burial is to be sympathetic to the people and deserves praise.
The wars and chaos in the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty/Data picture
In fact, as the founder of the Cao Wei regime, Cao Cao had a high position and was worthy of money, so he should not lack money. The reason why he advocated thin burial against tradition is related to his personal value tendency. The Book of Wei said that Cao Cao was “elegant and frugal, not gorgeous”, so he proposed “Babaylan” in his late years of life, which was very natural.
Cao Cao’s practice has opened up the 400-year burial style of burial for the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. It was not until the Tang Dynasty that the tradition of grand funeral was restored.
Cao Cao in historyBabaylan is very frugal/Data picture
Of course, Cao Cao’s advocacy of burial is not unrelated to the saying of “the lieutenant of gold”. In order to raise food and money, Cao Cao set up the positions of “Golden Crown Captain” and “Faqiu General” in the army, and specialized in digging graves and plundering gold and silver to fill military money. Therefore, Cao Cao was known as the “ancestor of the Mojin School” in later generationsCinema. This statement is mentioned in Chen Lin, one of the “Seven Sons of Jian’an”, a famous article “Expression to Yuzhou for Yuan Shao”.
Stills/Data Pictures of the Movie “Looking for Dragons”
Cao Cao, who is so familiar with tomb robbers, naturally thought that behind him might be “treated by the way of others.” He knew that tomb robbers were seeking money, and tomb robbers without burial objects were not very interested. Babaylan therefore advocates burial and deliberately leaves records. Among them, there is the consideration of fear of being disturbed by tomb robbers behind him.
Cao Cao in the TV series “Military Advisors Alliance”/data picture
What Cao Cao didn’t expect was that he advocated “burial” even though he practiced his actions. href=”https://comicmov.com/”>Cinema, and later generations also helped him interpret the saying “72 suspicious tombs”, but he finally couldn’t escape the embarrassment of being disturbed by later tomb robbers!
The ancestor of tomb robbers also encountered the href=”https://comicmov.com/”>BabaylanThe embarrassment of tomb robbery/data photo
The road to discovery and identification of the “Cao Cao Tomb” in Xigaoxue Village, Anyang has been going through ten years. As an academic issueKomiks, although we have basically consistent views at present, we still need to continue to maintain an open mind to accept various opinions. After all, taking every possible question rigorously is more conducive to us to keep approaching the historical truth and finally reaching the truth!
Only enough evidence can clear away the fog of history/data image
Source｜Yangchengpai
Column host｜Xia Yang
Editor｜Xie Zhe