Master Archaeologist

Chapter 37 Han paint and Tang paint

Seeing the shovel mixed with white, gray, cyan, yellow, and red clods brought out by Chen Hanxin, everyone was shocked.

The appearance of five-color soil means that there is a high probability that there will be tombs in this underground area.

Zhuang Yunpeng quickly said: "Mr. Kong! We found the five-color soil!"

Kong Jianwen, who was wandering around the construction site for inspection, hurried towards Chen Han and his team.

"Well, good job!"

After receiving the clod from Chen Han, Kong Jianwen broke it open and examined it carefully.

Fragments of pottery or porcelain were not found in the soil, but the five-color soil alone was enough.

If this is not a group of tombs, then you can still doubt whether there are other reasons for the appearance of the five-color soil.

But after confirming that Fenghuang Mountain is a noble cemetery in the Qin and Han Dynasties, there is no hesitation when digging up the five-color soil, it must be a tomb.

Kong Jianwen quickly took out a plan for the construction of the radar station given by Rao Wenyi from his pocket.

"How deep did you drill?"

"Probably more than three meters, less than four meters."

"Well"

Kong Jianwen carefully judged with the planning map, and affirmed: "This area is also within the scope of the radar station construction, and the depth of three meters may affect the foundation."

"This tomb needs to be excavated for protection."

He solemnly marked the side of the cave, and put down a mark of M-105, which means that this is the No. 105 grave.

When the military builds a radar station, there is not really only one main building of the radar station. It needs to build an entire supporting building, as well as a dormitory area and a training area. The main building may even need a basement and an air-raid shelter.

Tombs at a soil layer of 3 meters will definitely be dug out and destroyed during the construction of the major infrastructure, and must be dealt with in advance.

After confirming that there is a tomb at this location, Kong Jianwen told Chen Han and the others:

"Don't be in a hurry to excavate. The workers will be in place tomorrow. I will also go to Director Rao to ask for a batch of lacquer protection fluid."

"Good teacher." Chen Han nodded calmly.

Kong Jianwen looked at the calm Chen Han.

He suddenly remembered that he was Chen Han's mentor, and he was busy leading the excavation work recently, and he didn't seem to give the students much "precepts and deeds".

So, he asked casually: "Cough, Xiao Chen, do you know why I went to Director Rao for lacquer protection fluid?"

"Because there are often many lacquerware unearthed in Han tombs." Chen Han replied calmly.

"Then why are there a lot of lacquerware unearthed from the tombs of the Han Dynasty?"

Now Chen Han also realized that the tutor was testing him.

After recalling the knowledge for a while, Chen Han organized his language and said: "The Han Dynasty was the heyday of lacquerware development."

"Before the Han Dynasty, bronze wares were mainly used in large quantities in China, and bronze wares were single in color, difficult to obtain materials, complicated in production process, and rare in existence."

"Lacquerware, with its exquisite shape, is not only decorative, but also practical. It has been developed and sought after at a high speed in the Han Dynasty."

"Furthermore, it was said in "Salt and Iron Theory" that lacquerware is a tool for health preservation and death."

"The funeral system of the Han Dynasty also mostly respected generous burials."

"In the Han Dynasty, death was like life, and the ruling class advocated filial piety to rule the world."

"So during the burial in the Han Dynasty, the utensils used by the deceased, as well as food, clothing, housing, transportation, servants and slaves will be brought into the tomb for the use of the tomb owner."

"It just so happens that people in the Han Dynasty used lacquerware in large quantities. Lacquerware was widely used in people's daily necessities, food, housing and transportation. Naturally, lacquerware appeared in large quantities as funerary objects."

Kong Jianwen nodded while listening.

Yes, Chen Han's theoretical knowledge is still very solid, which makes him very satisfied.

But he didn't let Chen Han go so easily.

"Then, why did the number of unearthed lacquerware begin to drop sharply in the tombs after the Han Dynasty?"

"The lacquerware of the Tang Dynasty shined brilliantly, showing a gorgeous style, and even as a representative utensil of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, it influenced the aesthetics of the entire East Asia."

"Why are there more gold, silver and porcelain wares unearthed in the Tang Dynasty, but not many lacquer wares?"

In the tombs of the Han Dynasty, lacquerware was unearthed basically from the tombs of noble princes and kings to the tombs of ordinary people, but the difference is only the difference between the more and the few.

However, lacquer ware is rarely seen in the tombs of the Tang Dynasty. There may be a small amount of unearthed in the tombs of nobles, but lacquer ware is basically not found in the tombs of ordinary people.

Why the times have progressed and the craftsmanship of lacquerware has become more mature, but it has become rare.

This is obviously a very divergent question, but it is not difficult for Chen Han.

After thinking for a while, he said confidently, "This is because the funeral system has advocated thin burials since the Three Kingdoms."

"After all, in ancient times when productivity was insufficient, practical devices could be passed on for several generations. It would be too wasteful to bring them underground directly after death."

"Especially in the Tang Dynasty, there were strict regulations on the burial system, advocating thin burials and resisting thick burials."

"The nobles of the Tang Dynasty were able to use gold, silver and porcelain for burial, and the amount was not large. Compared with the Han Dynasty, it is indeed a thin burial."

"But the common people cannot afford these precious metals and porcelain to be buried with them."

"Besides, during the Tang Dynasty, Buddhism was more respected from top to bottom. For the common people, most of the exquisite lacquerware that they could afford were needed to be used as offerings to Buddha, and could not be buried with them."

"When people in the Tang Dynasty handled funerals, they often used ghost vessels instead of practical ones for burial."

"That's why few lacquerware were unearthed from Tang Dynasty tombs."

"On the contrary, there are more practical lacquerware used in the Tang Dynasty, which are handed down from generation to generation today."

"Including those brought into the RB by envoys sent to the Tang Dynasty, as well as those preserved in China, the amount of lacquerware in the Tang Dynasty is still not small."

Kong Jianwen nodded in satisfaction.

Han people died as much as they lived, and they basically took the things they used during their lifetime to the ground after death. Lacquerware was already used in daily use in the Han Dynasty, and it was inseparable from food, clothing, housing and transportation, so a large number of them were unearthed.

By the time of the Tang Dynasty, the people of Tang had abandoned the idea that death should be regarded as life, and lacquerware had also changed from daily necessities to objects for worshiping Buddha. Exquisite lacquerware was rarely used as burial objects.

This led to a huge amount of lacquerware unearthed in the Han Dynasty, giving people a feeling that lacquerware = Han Dynasty.

But in fact, the development of lacquerware reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty, and it was the most exquisite and luxurious, affecting the whole of Asia.

Especially after the Tang envoys brought the lacquerware culture to RB, it is still regarded as a national treasure of RB.

"Well said, the basic skills are still very solid!" Kong Jianwen patted Chen Han on the shoulder, and said with satisfaction: "It is impossible to build Han tombs without knowing lacquerware."

"Of the ten Han tombs, nine and a half have lacquerware, which is exquisite!"

"Xiao Chen, you will feast your eyes on the excavation project of the Han Tombs this time."

Chen Han nodded excitedly.

He is really excited!

Compared with the prehistoric relics of the Lajia site, the excavation work of Han tombs is indeed much more interesting and exciting!

Not only lacquerware, but the people of the Han Dynasty who liked to burial deeply, there are too many treasures in the tomb!

Moreover, the Western Han Dynasty followed the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. The tombs of this period are full of unknown surprises!

After all, the Western Han Dynasty was only one or two hundred years away from the era when a hundred schools of thought contended and ideas exploded.

No one knows if some masterpieces of sages who have been lost in modern times will be dug up, or some hidden historical truth, or even important lost cultural relics!

This is not a tomb, it is completely a treasure buried deep in the ground!

(End of this chapter)