As we all know, in ancient times, due to the limitations of history, the ancients were too superstitious about ghosts and gods, believing that people's souls would go to the underworld after death, which allowed the princes and nobles at that time to build mausoleums before their deaths, and the more advanced the status of nobles, the richer the funerary products of the mausoleum. These mausoleums, without exception, all had the most advanced "anti-theft" mechanisms at that time, and the owner of the tomb hoped to make the tomb robbers retreat through these organs.
However, the ancient tombs of the Liao Dynasty found by experts in Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, in the last century, violated normalcy, not only did the tombs have no organs, but even the owner of the tomb also prepared a table of "hearty dishes" to entertain the latecomers, and its epitaph reads: "All those who enter my bedchamber in the future, read my life, are my friends, and should be treated with wine and meat." The discovery of the tomb owner's epitaph also shocked everyone, and they could not help but feel the open-mindedness of the tomb owner, and they were even more surprised by the "dish" on the table that had been preserved for thousands of years.
No organ or even the tomb owner welcomes the "latecomers"
This tomb was discovered in 1993 by the villagers of Bali Village, Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, is one of the 10 more concentrated Liao Dynasty tombs in the local area, experts through the analysis of the remaining items in the tomb and the review of relevant information, and finally concluded that this tomb is the tomb of the Liao Dynasty Zhang family, the tomb owner is the patriarch Zhang Wenzao.
Experts then contacted the Hebei archaeological team to prepare for archaeological excavations, in the process, to the surprise of the archaeological team, they did not find any organs during the excavation process, and even there were two "door officials" at the gatehouse of the tomb, as if to welcome the arrival of guests. In terms of funerary products, this ancient tomb of the Liao Dynasty is not as rich as experts imagine, and the most valuable thing in the tomb is the several exquisite murals in the tomb.
"Hearty dishes" and grape wines that have been preserved for thousands of years
When the expert leads the archaeological team through the burial chamber, they are greeted by a table full of hearty dishes, so that everyone has the feeling of crossing the millennium. In front of the coffin, there is a large wooden table with bowls, plates, bottles, and lacquered chopsticks, while inside the bowls are various foods, including chestnuts, pears, betel nuts, and a whole bunch of grapes.
Most of the food has dried up over the millennia, but the 35 chestnuts are still well preserved in the yellow glazed dragon head bowl, which is like fresh food, which can't help but be mouth-watering. Experts then checked the information and learned that because Zhang Wenzao believed in Buddhism, he ate vegetarian food, which is why the table was vegetarian.
There is also a wooden chair next to this large wooden table, as if to signal to the guests who come to sit down and eat. But to the surprise of experts is a "green glazed chicken leg bottle", the bottle mouth also overflowed with some aroma when opened, and later after testing, it was learned that this green glazed chicken leg bottle was actually filled with Liao Dynasty wine!
The epitaph reveals the open-mindedness of the tomb owner during his lifetime
What is interesting is that on the epitaph of the tomb advocate Wenzao, it is written: "Whoever enters my bedchamber in the future, who reads my life, is my friend, and should be treated with wine and meat." "People can't help but feel the optimistic and open-minded state of mind of the tomb owner before he died, like this kind of ancient tomb that not only did not set up any organs, but even the tomb owner welcomed people to come to his "place behind his body", even if it is rare to excavate countless tombs in his lifetime.
Through this ancient tomb of the Liao Dynasty, we can glimpse the lifestyle of the ancients thousands of years ago, look at the "rich dishes" on the large wooden table in the tomb and the epitaph left by the tomb owner, as if people travel through the millennium ago, sit with the ancients and talk about the world, raise a glass and drink!