Master Archaeologist

Chapter 168 Suihou Bead and Glass
There are indeed many funerary objects in the west ear room.

In addition to bronze ritual vessels, bronze mirrors, bronze weapons, and iron tools, there are also a large number of pottery, jade, stone, and gold wares.

There's even glassware!
Five pieces of glass walls, one glass dragonfly eye, and seven pairs of glass plaques!

"Fuck, are these glass beads?!"

When Fu Pu, the director of the Guangzhou Institute of Archeology, saw these glassware wrapped in silk rot and fragments, he was pleasantly surprised!

Glass.

For most people, it will be considered an imported product.

But in fact, in the history of China, glass was actually made on a small scale.

It's just that a complete and systematic system has not been established like porcelain, jade and other cultural relics.

There is still no accurate conclusion on the time when glass first appeared and was produced in China.

"Liuli" is not the earliest name for glass seen in ancient literature.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, glassware had already appeared. People at that time called translucent "glass" and transparent ones "glass".

Later, there were names such as "medicine jade", "jar jade", "glass" and "feeder", among which the name "feeder" was most commonly used.

On the contrary, "Liu Li" became the name of artificial crystal fired at high temperature only after the Tang Dynasty.

In ancient China, glass ware and glazed ware were actually two different items.

Glass is usually made into glass beads, also called "medicine jade", which is a mixture of lead, barium and silicates.

The glass is made of crystal glass mother stones of various colors and fired at high temperature.

And with the archaeological discoveries in recent years, some glassware of the two-week period have indeed been discovered.

The famous Yue King Goujian sword was inlaid with a glass bead.

When this sword was unearthed, it shocked the world!

It subverted the saying that only gold, silver and turquoise were used to inlay weapons in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period!
To put it simply, the glassware of the Western Zhou Dynasty is unpretentious, dull in color, simple in shape, loose in texture and rough in workmanship.

The glassware of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period are mainly imitation jade, with a good finish and a high level of craftsmanship.

The Han Dynasty basically continued the Warring States style.

During the period of the Three Kingdoms, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the exotic style of glassware became more exotic, and the glassware was thin and light, with better transparency.

In the Tang Dynasty, due to the exchange of the Silk Road in the Western Regions, the glassware of the Tang Dynasty had a strong Persian style, and the works were bright and colorful.

Song and Yuan dynasties were small and exquisite.

Of course, these ancient glasses are not the same as modern glasses.

Even the most exquisite and highly skilled ones are about the same as the big green sticks that hold beer today.

It must be a dream to make the kind of modern craft glass used for car windows.

Regarding glassware, there is actually a very famous event.

It is also related to the tomb of Zeng Guo excavated by Chen Han before.

That is the very famous Chinese treasure in history, the "Suihou Pearl" which is also known as the second treasure of Spring and Autumn together with Heshibi!
"Huainanzi": "The pearl of Suihou, the jade of Bianhe, those who get it are rich, and those who lose it are poor."

The old "Ci Hai" entry "easy-going" notes: "The pearl of Suihou and the jade of Bianhe are both precious, so they are also called easy-going."

According to legend, the source of the Suihou Pearl is that a certain Suihou monarch saved a mysterious big snake on the road, and then the snake held the pearl to repay Suihou.

This legend must be unbelievable. According to the legend, the big snake was beaten into two pieces and then rescued by Suihou.

Moreover, this legend was only completed after the Western Han Dynasty, and it is not a true historical record.

But there should indeed be Suihou beads in history.

There were records of Suihou Zhu in the Warring States Period, and it was well-organized.

Suihou Zhu has always been the treasure of Suiguo. Later, Suiguo was suppressed by Chu State. After surrendering to Chu State, Suihou Zhu was taken away by Chu State.

Although there is no record in historical data, when did Suihouzhu fall into the hands of the king of Chu.

However, it is recorded that in 350 BC, King Xuan of Chu learned that Qin sent envoys to watch the treasures of Chu, and ordered Yin Zixi to ask: "Qin wants to see the treasures of Chu, the jade of my family and the pearl of Suihou, can you show it to everyone?" ?”

This shows that both Heshibi and Suihouzhu were in the hands of Chu State at that time.

Later, these two things came into the hands of Qin Shihuang.

This is also documented.

In Li Si's "Book of Remonstrance and Chasing Guests", he once persuaded Qin Shihuang: "The jade that your majesty sent to Kunshan today is the treasure of easygoing and harmony, and the pearl of the moon... Qin did not give birth to such treasures, but your majesty Speaking of which, why?"

The point of this passage is that it doesn't matter what you say, anyway, it can prove that Suihouzhu and Heshibi were in the hands of Qin Shihuang.

Everyone in China knows what He's Bi was used for later.

National Jade Seal!

But Suihou Zhu disappeared after that.

After 1600 years, the Chuanguo Yuxi also disappeared.

For 2000 years, countless people have wanted to find these two treasures of civilization.

But got nothing.

Where exactly the Chuan Guo Yuxi was lost is indeed an eternal mystery.

But with Hou Zhu there, the academic circle still has a rough guess.

Most of them were buried with Qin Shihuang, and they were placed in a funerary object room in Qin Shihuang's mausoleum.

And what is this Suihou bead, a treasure of civilization that has been praised for nearly 2500 years?

There is much debate in academia.

One of the arguments is that the Suihou beads may be glassware.

Because, in the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, 173 glass beads were unearthed!

The surface of these glass beads is covered with circle patterns, which are generally called "dragonfly eye" glass beads.

"Lunheng" written by Wang Chong of the Eastern Han Dynasty also mentioned: "Suihou uses medicine as pearls, and the essence is as true as it is."

The so-called "medicine" in the Eastern Han Dynasty was actually lead used by alchemists to make pills.

Huaxia's glass is fired by mixing lead and other substances.

Through the two-phase verification of written records and unearthed cultural relics, a conclusion can be drawn.

Suiguo in the Warring States Period was already good at firing glass beads!

That Suihou bead may be the best and most beautiful glass bead made by Suiguo!

Of course, because this conclusion is really a bit shattered.

The famous Suihou bead is actually just a glass bead. Obviously, this statement cannot be accepted by the public.

But whether this argument is true or false.

Suiguo in the Warring States period was already very good at firing glassware, and this must be true.

Sui State later became part of Chu State.

Nanyue has inherited a lot of immigrants and culture from Chu.

At this time, it is very reasonable and surprising that so many glassware can be unearthed in the tomb of the Nanyue king.

Especially that glass bead.

The style is the same as the glass beads unearthed from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, they are all "dragonfly eye" glass beads!

It is very likely that this is a treasure that has been fired during the Warring States Period, and has been kept by Sui, Chu, Qin, and finally in the hands of Nanyue.

Holding the glass bead in his hand, Fu Pu, who has always been calm, couldn't hide his excitement.

He shouted impatiently: "Xiao Liu, quickly send this dragonfly eyeball and other glassware to the Chinese Academy of Sciences for energy spectrum analysis!"

"See if these are glass! Is it glass made by the ancient Chinese method!"

Although these glass vessels look like glass, they are also similar in style to those unearthed before.

But Fu Pu can't guarantee that it must be glass.

The rigor of science told him that it must be sent for testing!
As far as it can be determined, the composition of these utensils is composed of lead and barium.

Then this batch of glassware from the Western Han Dynasty and even the Warring States Period has become the treasure of Guangzhou, and even the treasure of Guangdong is a certainty!

(End of this chapter)