【Editorial】Archaeological excavations, to run past the "Tufuzi"

A heavy archaeological message was swiped in the circle of friends. On the morning of December 14, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage held an online meeting in Beijing to focus on three important archaeological discoveries and research results in Gansu, Henan and Shaanxi. At the meeting, it was announced that the great tomb of Bailuyuan Jiangcun in Xi'an City was the tomb of Emperor Wen of Han.

The tomb owner, Emperor Wen of Han, hardly needs much introduction for ordinary readers, he is the representative of the first Chinese feudal dynasty to rule the world "Wenjing Zhizhi". Baling, which is the "Baling" in Li Bai's "Qin Louyue, Annual Willow Color, Baling Wound Farewell", is also an image that often appears in ancient poetry.

The discovery of Baling allows us to finally have a more intuitive contact with Emperor Wen of Han, a feudal emperor who was more than 2,000 years ago. Moreover, this achievement subverted the general understanding of the historians since the Yuan Dynasty that the tomb of Emperor Wen of Han was located at the mouth of the Phoenix. Judging from the archaeological site, the excavated cultural relics are also very rich, and it is believed that they have a major role in the study of the canonical relics of the Han Dynasty. It is precisely for this reason that both experts and ordinary people are excited by this major archaeological achievement.

However, the discovery process of Baling is not easy, and the cultural relics will not lie quietly on the ground waiting for future generations to discover. Combing through the report, it can be found that the archaeological discoveries of the tomb of Emperor Wen of Han are the result of the intrusion of "Tufuzi" (that is, tomb robbers).

As early as 2002, the cultural relics stolen from the Jiangcun Tomb appeared at foreign auctions, which aroused the great attention of the government and the academic community, and the archaeological community began to focus on investigation and research. Other Han tombs, such as the tomb of Lady Hook Yi and the tomb of Empress Bo, the mother of Emperor Wen of Han, have been frequently invaded in recent years, and relevant departments have also cracked a series of tomb robbery cases.

In view of this situation, the Shaanxi Archaeological Research Institute began rescue excavations in 2017. Therefore, the archaeological results we see today are actually the result of four years of racing against time. The more delayed, the greater the risk of the tomb being destroyed, in addition to the loss of cultural relics, it may also lead to insufficient archaeological evidence, and ultimately it is impossible to determine the archaeological results. These are all weights that the archaeological community cannot bear.

Some netizens said: The tomb of Emperor Wen of Han was actually discovered now? Yes, that's the real side of archaeology. Even historical celebrities, even famous places, cannot be discovered and confirmed for granted. Many cultural relics and monuments, or because of certain accidents, or because of man-made destruction have been buried in history, we are difficult to find, or even will never have an answer.

The discovery of the tomb of Emperor Wen of Han is "thrilling", if it is slower, or encounters sudden changes, it is difficult to say whether there will be such a heavy achievement today. This in itself also reminds that the research work of cultural relics protection must race against the clock, and it is absolutely impossible to lag behind the "Tufuzi".

Therefore, in addition to the breakthrough in the archaeological sense, the discovery of the tomb of Emperor Wen of Han also has public significance, that is, to let the public understand the significance of archaeology and understand the hardships of archaeologists. More importantly, let the whole society gather a strong consensus on the protection of cultural relics, and with a sense of urgency that the time is not waiting, to salvage and protect the historical relics of the nation.