As an ancient tomb where a person's life is finally fixed, although it is only a tomb, it stores the most precious cultural information of the era in which the owner lived, and also reveals the changes and development of ancient tomb customs. However, under the influence of various factors, ancient tombs often occur to be stolen and excavated.
In ancient times, tomb robbery was very common, and even became a custom in some regions. In addition, there are some people who will use tomb robbery as a means of making a living.
So, who invented the "Luoyang shovel" used by tomb robbers?
In order to improve the speed and efficiency of tomb robbery, some tomb robbers will invent some tomb robbery tools on their own. You know, in ancient times, when burial, it has always been adhered to the secret burial system of "no trees and no soil", plus, these ancient tombs have experienced several years of wind and rain erosion, resulting in many ancient tombs left on the surface of the traces have disappeared unchanged.
In addition to people like Liu Go, who have a clear goal of tomb robbery, most tomb robbers need to grope for the location of the ancient tomb, so as to judge the number of funerary items in the tomb and the level of the ancient tomb. However, the emergence of the "Luoyang shovel" is based on such considerations. At first, the "Luoyang shovel" was just a shovel used by tomb robbers in the Luoyang area.
Regarding the invention of this tool, there is a story circulating in Luoyang: At that time, Li Duck of Mapo Village in Luoyang, on the way to the market, found that someone on the side of the road was digging soil with a short-handled iron shovel in the shape of a barrel tile, which looked very easy to use, and a shovel could dig deep. What he didn't expect was that this kind of shovel could actually bring out a lot of soil when it was pulled out.
This discovery surprised Li Duck, and as for why he was happy, it began with his usual tomb robbery.
In fact, Li Duck has been secretly engaged in tomb robbery activities, and this kind of shovel can greatly improve the efficiency of his tomb robbery. When he returned, he asked the village blacksmith to make one for himself, and the effect of digging the soil was exactly the same as the shovel seen on the side of the road. Later, when Li Duck robbed the tomb, he always carried this shovel, and his success rate of robbing the tomb was greatly improved.
Perhaps this story is a false rumor, but no matter who invented the "Luoyang shovel", the contribution of this tool to future generations is huge. Because it is not only used by tomb robbers, but also widely used by archaeologists. However, the "Luoyang Shovel", which is rumored to be a god, is not a mysterious weapon.
Because this tool is mainly used by tomb robbers, and this industry is not visible, it is deified over time.
In fact, the "Luoyang shovel" is the improvement of the ancient long milling, tile milling, and continuous hoop shovel, which is narrow in body, the section is half-open crescent-shaped, and the shovel head is extremely sharp. Now the common "Luoyang shovel" is thirty centimeters long and about six centimeters in diameter. During the "People's Commune" period, the "Luoyang shovel" has always been a tool for farmers to dig trenches.
Because the scope of application of this kind of shovel is wider, it was promoted in many areas in the 1960s and 1970s. In northern Jiangsu, this shovel is also known as a small barrel shovel. It is used when excavating trenches, which not only saves time and effort, but also has high efficiency. However, the difference is that the curvature of this shovel is less than that of the "Luoyang shovel", and it is difficult to use.
Later, the tomb robbers made some changes to the "Luoyang shovel". In the past, the shovel handle was wooden, and the tomb robbers changed it to a steel pipe divided into several sections, each of which was docked with a screw hole or a card slot. The modified "Luoyang shovel", like the drill handle used in exploration, only needs to connect a few steel pipes when you want to explore deeper.
Moreover, this kind of "Luoyang shovel" can also be disassembled and put in the bag when it is not used in normal times, so that it is not easy to be found by others.
In addition to the "Luoyang shovel", why did the "Tufu" in Changsha become a tomb robber?
The main function of the Luoyang shovel is not to dig the soil, if so, the ordinary shovel is obviously more convenient than it, and the primary function of the Luoyang shovel is to detect. In ancient times, tomb robbers mainly used iron cones to detect tombs, although it was larger than the Luoyang shovel, but because the iron cone required the user to have a very strong excavation technology, it was not widely used.
Wang Shisheng of the Ming Dynasty mentioned in the "Four Provinces of Guangzhiyi and Jiangbei": "Luoyang has deep water and soil, and the burial is not as long as the spring, and there are ten long people who are long. However, although the burial is as promised, the thieves can still sniff it with an iron cone, and the breath of gold, silver, copper, and iron is emitted. "It can be seen that the ancient tombs are dug relatively deeply, usually the depth is not less than ten meters, and some even reach the aquifer.
Like the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, it was dug particularly deeply, and it is recorded in the "History of the First Emperor Benji" that his tomb "pierced through three springs, and went down to copper and made a rafter". Some scholars speculate that the tomb of Qin Shi Huang is at least five hundred meters deep. And the tomb buried so deeply, only by hitting it with an iron cone can the tomb robbers judge whether there is a tomb underneath according to the smell and color of the soil.
Tomb robbery in the Changsha area is more rampant, Luoyang is famous for the "Luoyang shovel", and Changsha is famous for "Tufuzi". "Tufuzi" specifically refers to people in Changsha who make a living by robbing tombs, and modern archaeologist Shang Chengzuo once examined the term "Tufuzi" and found that the predecessor of this professional tomb robbery group was a kiln worker who dug soil in a kiln factory.
Because the number of ancient tombs in Changsha is large, and most of them are from the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period, many kiln workers will occasionally find small antiques when taking soil. Of course, after discovery, they usually take these antiques for themselves, and then sell them to local antique dealers, so as to make a lot of windfall money.
Over time, these kiln workers tasted the sweetness of selling antiques, so they began to do the business of tomb robbery full-time.
According to Shang Chengzuo's research results, these "tufuzi" may also be farmers who sell yellow mud. "Yellow mud" mainly refers to the backfill soil used in those pit tombs, and is also known as "glutinous rice mud".
From this, it is inferred that these farmers naturally often walk around the ancient tombs, so it is also common for them to find antiques. Like the kiln workers before them, these people would sell antiques to antique dealers. It may be because selling antiques is more profitable than selling yellow clay, so many "tufu" simply use tomb robbery as a money-making business, which is specially practiced.
It can be said that these "tufuzi" have accumulated rich experience in the tomb robbery activities for many years. They can judge the age of the tomb by observing the soil around the tomb.
For example, ancient tombs in the Warring States period, because their funerary products are mostly bronzes, there will be rust and oxidation, so the surrounding soil will also be affected. Traces of this change, tomb robbery jargon is also called "copper road". Along the copper road, grave robbers can easily find the burial location of the bronze.
In addition to the "copper road", according to the different seals, tomb robbers can also judge the age and funerary products of ancient tombs. Ancient tombs in the Warring States period are often sealed with cyan paste; ancient tombs in the Tang and Song dynasties are mostly glutinous rice mud; lime is commonly used in sealing soil in the Ming and Qing dynasties; mercury, cinnabar and other substances will appear in the sealing soil of the Qin and Han dynasties. The burial customs of different dynasties basically determine the nature of the tomb sealing soil.
Even, some experienced tomb robbers can even judge the age of ancient tombs by the smell of sealed soil.
The "Luoyang shovel" was a tool used to excavate ancient tombs during the Qin and Han dynasties, and the "Tufuzi" was the master of tomb robbers. The ancient tombs in the Guanzhong area are all distributed in the yellow land, and the excavation is relatively simple, and the tomb robbers only need to dig a square hole in the ancient tomb. This kind of robbery cave is a common way of excavation in ancient times, so it is also known as "Guanzhong-style robbery cave".
Grave robbers usually dig out their footpegs on both sides of the rectangular cave, which is very convenient to get in and out.
However, the traditional circular robbery cave, although simple to excavate, is not conducive to practical use. Because, after this kind of opening is excavated, the grave robbers need to climb in and out like dogs. From this point, it can be seen that the ancient tomb robbers and the modern tomb robbers are indeed "disciples" relationship. However, no matter what kind of robbery, the tomb robbers cannot do without the help of ropes.
This rope, like the "Luoyang shovel", is also a necessary tool for tomb robbery.
The Qing Dynasty Xu Ke compiled the "Qing Barnyard Banknotes and Thieves", which talked about the use of ropes, Xu Ke wrote: "Jiao Nai selected a number of brave people, made torches, sat in bamboo baskets, and suspended under the long rope. "This rope is not an ordinary rope, it requires the twisting of more than three strands of cannabis skin. This rope can not only lift the Turla people, but also transport the funerary goods in the tomb, which is very strong and durable.
Of course, since this kind of rope can tie people, it can also become a weapon for killing people. In ancient times, tomb robbers often traveled together, some people were responsible for going down to rob tombs, and some people were responsible for receiving them on the ground. If the person receiving the person on the ground has a selfish intention, he will cut the rope and let the companion suffocate in the hole, and this kind of mutilation by the companion is sometimes found in archaeology.
In 1961, archaeologists discovered during the excavation of the tomb of Princess Yongtai that there was a cave in the inner corridor of the tomb, and a skeleton was found at the entrance of this cave, which was an adult male. At that time, archaeologists analyzed that the skeleton should be a tomb robber. It must have been his companion who had a bad heart and pulled the rope, and he was blocked in the hole.
Although the robbery cave is divided into square and prototype, most of the robbers who open the coffin are circular, and this "big unveiling" method of tomb robbery is also used by archaeologists today. Specifically, this method of tomb robbery requires the tomb to be completely excavated, but after excavation, the original state of the tomb will also be completely destroyed.
This method of archaeology is also a destructive archaeology, which is quite controversial.
In 2007, when archaeologists excavated the No. 1 Han Tomb of the King's Tomb in Lu'an, Anhui Province, they found that the tomb robbers used the "big unveiling" method of excavation. According to observation, the circular thief hole above the coffin should not be the work of the "Luoyang shovel", but the axe.
As a traditional tomb robbery tool, the axe has never left human life since it was invented.
Especially for tomb robbery, people pay attention to the fact that "the sharp axe does not leave the body" is recorded in detail in the "Taiping Guangji Regeneration I". The text mentions: "At the end of the Han Dynasty, Li Ao, a woman from Wuling, was sixty years old, sick, and buried outside the city for half a month. Russia's neighbors are Cai Zhong, who smells of Russia's wealth, and who asks for gold. With an axe to cut the coffin, the coffin cried out: 'Cai Zhong protects my head.' 'Zhong, frightened away, was taken by the county magistrate, and abandoned the city. ”
When the Han Dynasty was buried, heavy wooden coffins were commonly used, such as the "Yellow Intestine Inscription" which is a product of that period. Among them, "yellow intestine" refers to the yellow heart cypress wood fig piled up outside the coffin, and "inscription" refers to the head of the wooden fang arranged inward. The best tool for excavating such a coffin is an axe, so it is not surprising that such an axe appears in the Tomb of Lu'an Han.
In today's society, many tomb robbery "suspense novels" have always been highly sought after by young people, and there are short suspense novels such as "three words and two beats" in ancient times, and popular novels such as tomb robbery notes. And the "Three Words" written by Feng Menglong, of which Volume XIV tells the story of "The Amorous Zhou Shengxian of Fan Lou", zhou Shengxian "came back from the dead" because of Zhu Zhen's tomb robbery.
The protagonist of the text, Zhu Zhen, was born into a family of tomb robbers, and the family stored the tomb robbery tools left by his father, many of which can be called "ancestral things", Feng Menglong described the story like this:
Zhu Zhen went under the bed and dragged out an object to see with his mother. The mother said, 'Hugh get out!' Originally, your grandfather had taken it out, so that it was a break. Zhu Zhendao: "Everyone's fate is different. I counted my life several times this year and said I should get rich, and you don't stop me. 'What are you dragging out?' It turned out to be a leather bag with some knives and axes, a leather lamp, and a jar of oil, and a collared coat. ”
Zhu Zhen has many ancestral tomb robbery tools, including a "leather lamp".
Grave robbers usually operate at night, so it is necessary to carry lighting tools. These tools not only have a lighting function, but also save lives at critical moments. In the novel, it is often mentioned that "people light wax and ghosts blow lamps", which is real. If there is a real "ghost blowing lights" situation, the tomb robbers need to exit the tomb immediately.
According to modern science, the phenomenon of "ghost blowing lights" is actually due to the lack of oxygen in the tomb.
Because tombs were usually sealed before they were stolen, especially those that are old. If the tomb robber enters the tomb at a depth of tens of meters, the lamp does not light up, or the situation is extinguished after the light is lit, then it means that there is an extreme lack of oxygen in the tomb, and if it is stuck for a long time, it will produce fainting.
In the novel, there are often scenes of tomb robbers "reciting words" when opening the coffin, and this situation does exist. However, all they chant is begging the owner of the tomb to forgive them, and some tomb robbers even joke with the owner of the tomb in order to be bold.
The protagonist of the story, Zhu Zhen, after priing open Zhou Shengxian's coffin, once said: "Little lady Mo Wei, temporarily borrow some riches from you, but make merit with you." ”
Depending on the development of the times, the types of tombs will change, and the tools used by tomb robbers will also change.
For example, most of the tombs of the Qin and Han dynasties were buried in deep soil layers, so tools such as "Luoyang shovels" and iron cones could be used. However, if you encounter a mausoleum built on a mountain or in a mountain rock, then you need to use tools such as chisels and axes, so those who are very experienced in tomb robbers often carry tomb robbery tools of different purposes and shapes.
The han tombs of higher ranks have a depth of up to more than ten meters. Even though there were already many wooden objects on the pit for protection, the coffin in the tomb was still buried with the "yellow intestine inscription", and later, even the ear chamber appeared. After the Wei and Jin dynasties, the tombs were mostly made of brick, and in the Sui and Tang dynasties, there were tombs poured with iron juice, and in the Ming and Qing dynasties, the tomb roof was mostly stirred with glutinous rice juice to stir the lime cracks.
The older the tomb, the deeper its tomb is, and the tomb robbers need to use different tools to ensure the success of the excavation. The progress of tomb robbery tools with the times is also unimaginable to the world. Some grave robbers even use forklifts, electronic detectors, and positioning systems to grave robbery activities.
The tomb of LaoHanshan in Beijing was stolen many times before it was excavated, and modern tomb robbers have even used tools such as explosives.
However, no matter what tools are used, tomb robbery is not an easy task, and the hardship of tomb robbery is also as Zhu Zhen said, "If you don't work hard, it is difficult to get close to the world's wealth."
Resources:
["Ghost Blowing Lanterns", "Guangzhiyi, Four Provinces of Jiangbei", "Shiji Shi huang Benji", "Notes on Tomb Robbers", "Qing Barnyard Banknotes and Thieves", "Taiping Guangji, Regeneration I"]