Stone Breaking the Sky: Secrets of Major Archaeological Discoveries in a Century

Author: Yu Qiuwei / et al.
Editor-in-Chief: Hou Yangjun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-09-01
Features: This is the golden age of Chinese archaeology. The Yinxu in Anyang, Henan, the Shang City in Yanshi, the Han Dynasty Yangling mass burial pits, the Ma Wangdui Han Tombs, the Chang'an City of the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Huaqing Pool in Lintong where Yang Guifei bathed, the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, the Famen Temple underground palace, the Dingling Mausoleum and the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty, as well as the Yu Ling of Emperor Qianlong and the tomb of Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty, all paint a panoramic picture of the Chinese nation's origins from ancient times, its rise and fall, with both the brilliance of the Han and Tang dynasties and the humiliation of the late Qing. Among them, the discoveries of major historical events are innumerable and too numerous to list: the Great Wall has long become a symbol of the Chinese nation; the Terracotta Army discovered in Lintong, Shaanxi, is hailed as the "Eighth Wonder of the World." The writing of this book focuses on documentation, attempting to recreate the excavation process of archaeologists at the time, abandoning dry archaeological reports and monotonous data, striving for vivid and engaging prose. In terms of topic selection, it chooses some of the most fascinating major archaeological discoveries, reflecting the storms and hardships Chinese archaeology has gone through and the legendary experiences of generations of archaeologists.
Excerpt: The most significant achievement of the Yinxu excavations after the founding of New China is undoubtedly the discovery and findings of the Fu Hao tomb in 1976. Fu Hao was the consort of King Wu Ding of the Shang Dynasty, but her tomb was not located in the royal tomb area on the northern bank of the Huai River, but on the southeastern side of the Shang Dynasty site about 100 meters north of Xiaotun Village. The burial chamber was rectangular, measuring 5.6 meters long and 4 meters wide, with no passage, and was much smaller in scale than the Wangling tombs in the northwest. Therefore, it did not attract much attention at first. At that time, it was spring, and the green grass and trees on both banks of the Huai River were tempting the hearts of those who had long stayed in Anyang Yinxu. A tomb of such scale could not stimulate the weary hearts of the exhausted team, especially since the tens of thousands of Shang Dynasty tombs discovered in Yinxu were either looted or had no or very few funerary objects. Excavating these tombs might yield some insights into the form and burial customs of Shang tombs, but if they had been looted or damaged, the effort would likely have been in vain. Under such circumstances, who would have expected a medium-sized tomb outside the royal tomb area to produce a miracle? However, for those engaged in Yinxu archaeology, the spring of 1976 was exceptionally bright and enchanting, and a miracle truly appeared that spring! The Fu Hao tomb had not been looted! The good news, mixed with the spring breeze, warmed every hardworking team member. But another concern soon arose in people's minds: even if this relatively small tomb had not been looted, what level of richness could its burial goods possibly reach? However, the subsequent excavation results stunned all scholars, both Chinese and foreign, concerned about Yinxu archaeology. Just the bronze artifacts unearthed from the Fu Hao tomb numbered over 440 pieces, with a total weight of 1.6 tons—truly a remarkable discovery unprecedented in ancient times! It turned out that although the Fu Hao tomb was of medium size and had no passage, Fu Hao was the consort of King Wu Ding of the Shang Dynasty and a famous figure in Shang Dynasty history. In the oracle bone inscriptions left from the Wu Ding period, there were as many as 200 divinations related to Fu Hao. One divination record even described Fu Hao leading the Shang Dynasty army to conquer the eastern Yi tribes and the western Qiang tribes, achieving great military exploits for the Shang Dynasty. Fu Hao can be said to be the first female general recorded in Chinese history, holding the status of both queen and general, and her nobility was beyond question. Perhaps for this very reason, she was not buried in the royal tombs but interred near the palace, with extremely rich funerary goods, expressing King Wu Ding's longing for her after her death. There was a rectangular niche on each of the eastern and western walls of the Fu Hao tomb, where dogs and sacrificial persons were buried. The burial chamber was filled with layered rammed earth, with each layer about 10 centimeters thick, and sacrificial goods were placed in each layer, gradually increasing in quantity from top to bottom, mainly consisting of pottery, weapons, and jade carvings. Near the coffin and sarcophagus, four sacrificial persons and five sacrificial dogs were found on the top of the sarcophagus, along with a large number of bronze ritual and musical instruments, as well as two jade baskets. The sarcophagus was covered with a thin layer of silk, which was then wrapped in hemp cloth. Red and black lacquer were painted on the outside of the sarcophagus, indicating exquisite craftsmanship. Bronze artifacts were also placed between the sarcophagus and the coffin. The remains inside the coffin had long decayed, but jade artifacts and about 7,000 seashells were found as funerary goods! The tomb had a waist pit, where one sacrificial person and one dog were buried, and there were eight other sacrificial persons in other parts of the tomb. At this point, the 7.5-meter-deep Fu Hao tomb was fully excavated, yielding over 1,600 artifacts of various types, along with about 7,000 seashells. Among them, there were over 440 bronze artifacts, including more than 110 inscribed bronzes, with inscriptions primarily featuring "Fu Hao," "Si Mu Xin," and "Hao," as well as others like "Ya Gong," "Ya Qi," "Ya Qi," and "Shu Quan." Many of these large bronze artifacts were not only intricately carved with patterns but also solemn and beautiful, with many shapes like the double-square ritual vessel (oufang yi) and the three-tiered tripod (sanlian yan) being previously unseen. Four bronze mirrors were also discovered in the Fu Hao tomb. Although a single bronze mirror had been found earlier during the excavation of tomb No. 1005 at Houzhuang by Liang Siyong, it was considered unreliable by many scholars due to its rarity. The discovery of four mirrors this time confirmed that the Shang Dynasty had already been casting and using bronze mirrors. The use of bronze mirrors greatly promoted human progress and the development of civilization. The Fu Hao tomb yielded over 590 jade artifacts, which were not only diverse in type but also exquisitely carved. The Shang Dynasty jade craftsmen, with their masterful skills, created works of art that were both grand and dignified, while small animal carvings retained a lively and vivid style—a remarkable achievement given the limited tools and experience of the time. Additionally, over 7,000 seashells were unearthed from the Fu Hao tomb, which were used as currency in the Shang Dynasty. Such a large number of shells represented an enormous wealth at the time. Due to the extremely rich funerary goods unearthed from the Fu Hao tomb, research on the tomb has flourished, reviving the ancient Yinxu with vitality! To this day, archaeology in Yinxu has never stopped. Dedicated archaeologists have devoted their youth and even their entire lives to this land. As the archaeological work progresses step by step, it is believed that the ancient Yinxu will one day stand before people again, with its majestic palaces, grand royal tombs, various workshops, and even the living quarters of commoners and slaves, as well as the history of the Shang Dynasty, all reconstructed to honor those who toiled for Yinxu, both the living and the dead.