Master Archaeologist

Chapter 56 Anaerobic is the first element to preserve the corpse
After returning to the excavation site, Chen Han, Zhuang Yunpeng, Su Sa, and Lin Ya immediately got into tomb No. 168, and continued to clean up the side boxes in the outer coffin.

It is said to be a box, but in fact the range of the side box is very large, four meters long and more than two meters wide, and it is very time-consuming and laborious to clean.

But everyone is full of energy and fighting spirit.

Chen Han also put on rubber gloves, and began to search for the funeral objects in the dark sediment of the coffin chamber.

"By the way, the burial utensils are still well preserved. There are almost no signs of damage in the first coffin and the second coffin."

Zhang Jianbo, who was also carefully cleaning the coffin chamber, pointed to the traces of accumulated water left on the four wall panels of the coffin chamber, and said with some expectation: "According to the measurements of several colleagues."

"The depth of water in the coffin chamber is a full 75 centimeters deep."

"Moreover, the highest water mark in the coffin chamber reached 132 centimeters, and the lowest water mark was 81 centimeters high."

"This is basically completely invaded by groundwater."

Water marks will only appear after long-term soaking of wood in accumulated water.

It is a clear dividing line that separates the place that is not soaked in water and the place that is soaked in water.

The coffin is only 1.55 meters deep from the coffin cover to the bottom of the coffin floor.

The highest point of the water mark in the coffin chamber is 132 cm, which shows that earlier, the coffin chamber was submerged with a maximum of 1.3 meters of groundwater.

Moreover, it was because the coffin chamber had been submerged in so much water for a long time that such obvious water marks would appear after many years.

There are so many water marks of different heights, which means that the water in the coffin has existed for a very long time, and it may have been in a soaked state not long after the burial.

The depth of the accumulated water is now 75 centimeters, which may be a lower water level in the past 2000 years.

"If this coffin has been soaked in water for a long time, and it was soaked in it not long after it was buried."

"In addition, although the airtightness of the coffin cover is average, the airtightness of the inner coffin is quite good, so maybe the preservation of the tomb owner's body in the coffin will be very good!"

Zhuang Yunpeng guessed boldly.

Although he is quite afraid of things like non-rotten corpses and mummy.

But at the same time, he very much hoped that a corpse with better preservation conditions could be unearthed from Tomb No. 168.

Because of the high value of scientific research!

If Zhuang Yunpeng died suddenly now, the corpse would have very important research significance for modern anthropology, biology, and medicine.

Not to mention a well-preserved 2000-year-old ancient corpse!

If possible, he certainly hoped that the owner of tomb No. 168 would be better preserved this time.

"I also think it's possible." Chen Han, who was reaching out to fumble in the side box, also nodded in agreement.

Dry for a thousand years, wet for ten thousand years, half a year for neither dry nor wet.

This sentence summed up by Chinese archaeologists is indeed applicable to most archaeological occasions.

Extremely dry conditions, and conditions sealed in water, are theoretically constant temperature and humidity.

Just an environment with very low humidity all the time.

One has been in a humid environment.

However, cultural relics stored in a constant relatively dry or relatively humid environment can be preserved for a very long time.

Moreover, the preservation effect will be better in a relatively humid environment.

The corpse of the owner of the tomb also belongs to the "tomb unearthed object" in a broad sense, so this sentence naturally applies.

Corpses can indeed be preserved for a long time in dry conditions, and it is easier to find mummies in desert areas than in other areas.

As long as you dry out faster than they can rot.

And it was buried in a relatively anaerobic environment, so it can be preserved.

In addition to being dry, it is easier to preserve the corpse.

Corpses are preserved better and last longer in a liquid environment that lacks oxygen.

For example, some snakes, centipedes, tiger whips, and deer whips are brewed in medicinal wine in some areas.

If the seal is tight enough during production, and the high-alcohol alcohol is used to effectively sterilize, the animal bodies soaked in the medicinal wine will not rot and deteriorate.

And the structure of tissues, organs and cells will be well preserved.

However, the premise of both is that oxygen must be isolated!

Anaerobic is the first element to preserve the corpse!

Otherwise, water + oxygen, or natural air drying, will not be able to preserve the corpse for a long time.

Any dead animals and plants will quickly rot and deteriorate in a long-term aerobic environment.

The corpse is soaked in open water, as long as there is a trace of oxygen dissolved in the water, it is enough to make the corpse rot.

Bacteria are not afraid of water. Even in water, the spoilage bacteria in the human body will grow and reproduce crazily after losing the control of the human immune system.

The manifest reaction is the rapid decay of the corpse.

So the so-called "wet ten thousand years" does not mean that the corpse can be preserved for 1 years as long as it is soaked in water.

But if soaked in water, and at the same time airtight and oxygen-free, it can be stored for a long time.

Among them, "anaerobic" is the key point!
Only anaerobic can inhibit the reproduction of bacteria!
Although water can also isolate oxygen, it cannot completely isolate oxygen!
For the preservation of corpses, filling with water can only create a "constant temperature and humidity" state, provide a stable environment, and more importantly, it must be anaerobic at the same time!

The coffin chamber is filled with water, which is good news for the funerary objects.

Because the oxygen isolation effect produced by the water environment is enough to slow down the oxidation rate of the utensils.

But why did Professor Li and Teacher Kong show disappointed expressions when they saw the huge gap in the coffin lid?
It is because the coffin cover is not tightly sealed that the oxygen from the outside world may dissolve into the water.

A little oxygen may not have much oxidative effect on the funeral objects.

But it was enough to allow the putrefactive bacteria in the corpse in the coffin to multiply.

Tomb No. 105 that Chen Han and his colleagues unearthed, the coffin was also filled with groundwater.

The bronze sword preserved inside is in very good condition, but the owner of the tomb doesn't even have a complete skeleton left.

There is no oxygen in groundwater!
However, while the excavation and cleaning work was being carried out in the past half month, several senior researchers from the Institute of Archeology of the Academy of Social Sciences were also investigating and judging the situation of the inner coffin in the inner and outer coffins.

Unlike the coffin cover, the inner coffin of tomb No. 168 is still in good condition. There are three layers of linen wrapped around the outer coffin, each with six layers, and it is tightly sealed.

Although it is impossible to say that there is no water ingress at all, it is also possible that the amount of water ingress is not much.

In addition, although the sealing degree of the coffin cover is not good, the layer of green plaster on the coffin cover is the king of sealing, and has a very high anti-corrosion effect.

This also rekindled hope for everyone.

Perhaps the owner of the tomb in the inner coffin has only been exposed to a little oxygen, and the preservation of the corpse can still be relatively intact.

Thinking of this, Chen Han said with some expectation: "I don't expect the owner of the tomb to be as well-preserved as Mrs. Xin Zhui, but at least he can be better than Mr. Si Bo?"

"Best. Huh?!"

Chen Han, who originally wanted to look forward to a few more words, stopped abruptly in the middle of speaking, with a serious expression on his face.

His hands, which were pawing in the side box, also paused suddenly.

The others also looked at him suspiciously.

What's the meaning!Haven't heard of half-spoken, arsenic bibimbap!
However, after a few seconds, no one cared about what Chen Han wanted to say just now.

Everyone's eyes and attention were attracted by Chen Han's hands.

A box with a length of more than 40 centimeters and a width of nearly [-] centimeters, which seemed to be woven from rattan and bamboo, was lifted up carefully by him from the stagnant water.

"what is this?!"

　This mainly refers to the preservation of the corpse.

　　Although bamboo, wood, paper, bronze, and textile cultural relics also require anaerobic in water, they do not need to be completely anaerobic. Oxygen can dissolve in water, but it is difficult to interact with these artifacts in water.

　　These cultural relics pay more attention to the constant temperature and humidity environment.

　　It's different like ironware.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)