Master Archaeologist

Chapter 59 One and a half coins, troubled China for 2000 years!

After discovering half a tael, Chen Han was even more surprised and excited soon!
Because, after carefully observing the [-] or [-] unearthed half taels, he can be sure that these half taels are four baht coins in the early Han Dynasty, also known as Han half taels, not Qin ban taels!
The tomb owner of tomb M168 was buried with half a pair of money, which was not a Qin half-two, but a rare Han half-two!
Then the meaning will be different immediately, and the importance will even rise sharply!
If you're lucky, these unearthed Han Banliangs may even solve a problem that has plagued the historians for 2000 years and has been unresolved!
As for what problem can trouble Chinese historians for 2000 years, it is a long story.

This matter has to start with the demise of the Qin Dynasty.

At that time, after the demise of the Qin Dynasty, the Qin system was still used in the early Western Han Dynasty.

However, due to the private casting allowed by the people, and the fact that both Liu Bang and Empress Lu had made some messy currency values, this led to a chaotic money system in the early Western Han Dynasty.

After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty ascended the throne, six currency reforms were carried out, from three baht coins, half two coins, leather coins and platinum coins, to five baht coins after repeated trials.

In the end, the currency system was unified, private casting was strictly prohibited, and five baht coins were accepted as legal tender throughout the country.

The five baht coin has also become the longest and most successful longevity coin with the largest number of foundries in Chinese history.

From the Western Han Dynasty to the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and even after the Sui Dynasty ruled the world, five baht coins were minted, which lasted for 739 years!
And such a brilliant five baht coin was actually learned by "predecessors" at the beginning of its birth.

This senior is four baht!

Also known as four baht half two, Han half two!

The diameter of four baht coins is 2.4-2.6 cm, and the weight is 2.2-2.8 grams. It basically follows the casting method of Qin Ban with two outer circles and inner squares, but it is lighter and smaller than five baht coins, and it was also born earlier.

but!

Regarding the four baht coin, that is, the birth date of Han Banliang, there has always been a lot of controversy in the historian circles!

It is mainly divided into supporting the Han Banliang is the Wendi faction cast by Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, and the Han Banliang is the Wudi faction made by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty!
The reason why they are divided into two factions is to blame Ban Gu, a historian of the Eastern Han Dynasty, for his inconsistent records in "Hanshu"!
Ban Gu said in "Hanshu Shihuozhi": "Xiaowen made four baht coins in five years, and his writing was half taels."

And at the end of the text, it said: "Since Xiaowen made four baht coins, it was more than forty years old, and the county magistrate was ordered to sell half of the two baht coins and make three baht coins."

This statement is roughly the same as what Sima Qian said in "Historical Records Pingzhunshu".

According to this statement, Han Banliang was cast during the period of Emperor Wenwen of the Han Dynasty, and it was not eliminated until about five years after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Jianyuan, and replaced with three baht coins!

However, the strange thing is that Ban Gu himself said in the later "Hanshu Wudiji": "Three baht coins will be sold in the spring and February of the first year of Jianyuan, and three baht coins will be sold in the spring of the fifth year, and half two qian will be sold."

Afterwards, "Yuan Shou five years ago, half and two coins were given up, and five baht coins were sold."

According to Ban Gu's second set of arguments, it became the three baht coins used by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in the first year of Jianyuan, and half two coins in the fifth year of Jianyuan, and finally decided to use five baht coins in the fifth year of Yuanshou .

Therefore, in Ban Gu's own mouth, there appeared two sets of contradictory order of currency value.

The first set is the same half two-three baht-five baht inheritance relationship as recorded in "Historical Records".

It was Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty who first cast the half liang, and then Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty changed the half liang into three coins in the fifth year of Jianyuan, and finally changed the three baht coins into five baht coins in the fifth year of Yuanshou.

The second set is the inheritance relationship of three baht-half two-five baht.

There is nothing about Emperor Wenwen of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty cast three baht coins in the first year of Jianyuan, and then changed the three baht coins to half two coins in the fifth year of Jianyuan.

Which of these two sets of historical records is correct?
Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, countless historians have been arguing endlessly.

Some people support Emperor Wen's creation of Han Banliang, while others support Emperor Wu's creation.

It has been debated for 2000 years, and there is no conclusion on this issue!

Even in modern times, this question still plagues historians and archaeologists.

Because although some Han Banliangs can still be found on the market, there is no way to determine when these Han Banliangs were cast.

Carbon-[-] dating is not easy to use on inorganic substances such as metals. Even if it can be used, the error will be several decades.

It didn't take long between Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty!

Therefore, relying on the existing Han Banliang, there is no way to determine when this thing was cast.

If you want to prove that the historical records are correct, you can only rely on archaeological discoveries.

It's just a pity that in the past few decades of Chinese archaeology, among various rescue and protective excavations, there are relatively few tombs from the Han Wen Emperor period, and there are no Han half-two tombs found in these few excavated Han Wen Emperor tombs. .

So when exactly the Han Dynasty and the Han Dynasty began to be cast, it is still an unresolved question!

It is understandable why when Chen Han confirmed that the half taels he got in this big "blind box" were Han half taels instead of Qin half taels, he immediately became excited.

These dozens of Han Banliang were unearthed in the tomb, the significance is too important!
You must know that tomb No. M-168 has a large number of funerary objects, among which it is very likely to find things that confirm the identity of the owner of the tomb, or record the life and death of the owner of the tomb!

Even if there is no burial object that accurately records the life of the tomb owner!
With the rich number of burial objects, it is also possible to determine whether the owner of the tomb lived in the period of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty or the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.

After all, during the reign of different emperors, there are more or less differences in the standards of various utensils.

There is a Han Jing Emperor between Han Wendi and Han Wudi!
Once the life time of the owner of the tomb is determined, it is okay if it is Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. At most, this controversy will continue. Historians who support the creation of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty can have one more point of evidence.

but!

If it is determined that the owner of the tomb lived before Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, then this problem that has plagued Chinese historians for 2000 years can be solved directly!

The historical record of "Xiaowen made four baht coins in five years, and his writing is half taels" will become 100% unquestionable history!
Immediately afterwards, a series of issues surrounding the currency reform of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, as well as the credits of Emperor Wenwen of the Han Dynasty, will be redefined and changed!

To put it bluntly, this is even a major event that can define history!
Thinking of this, Chen Han's whole body was immediately filled with excitement!
It is necessary to find unearthed objects that can prove the age of the owner of the tomb!

Ten, twenty, thirty...

More and more Han Banliang were pulled out by Chen Han from this big bamboo stalk.

Adding up the front and back, there are a total of 61 Han half taels, which were placed in this bamboo basket!

This is not finished!
After taking out all the Hanban taels, Chen Han found that there was something in the bamboo basket!

A long strip of bamboo with a small copper ring on the upper side was pressed under these more than 60 half taels!
(End of this chapter)