How many "surprises" are hidden in the tombs of the Tuguhun royal family in the Tang Dynasty?

A picture of the excavated town tomb beast was provided by the Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics

Recently, the Gansu Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics released the latest archaeological research results of the Tuguhun royal tomb group in the Tang Dynasty in wuwei area, many of which created domestic archaeological "precedents", and individual discoveries filled domestic regrets.

Vividly reveal the historical facts of the Tuguhun nationality

Located in the eastern part of the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province, Wuwei has been an important area for ethnic minority activities and cultural exchanges since ancient times. The main archaeological cultures in the territory are Majiayao, Mid-Levels, Horse Factory, Xichengyi, Qijia, Shajing and so on.

In the fourth year of the first month, the Han Dynasty initially established Wuwei County. During the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, there were successively Former Liang, Hou Liang, Southern Liang, Northern Liang, and The Great Liang of the early Tang Dynasty, all of which built capitals here. From the 4th century to the 10th century, Tuguhun also had a long period of activity here.

In recent years, the Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and a number of scientific research units in the United Nations have set up a Tuguhun Archaeological Project Group, which has further enriched the cultural connotation of the Tuguhun royal burial group and clarified the basic layout of the tomb group. His tomb discoveries and relevant records of his epitaphs are of great value to the study of a series of issues such as the history of Tuguhun, the history of the relationship between the Tang and ethnic minorities in the west, the military establishment of the Tang Dynasty, especially the Tang Wars before and after the Anshi Rebellion, the Yanzhou (He) Gate House, and the origin of the "Ansai Army".

According to Ma Yuping, director of the Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics, through continuous archaeological work, the tomb group of the Wuwei Tuguhun royal family can now be preliminarily divided into three major mausoleum areas, namely the "Great Khan Mausoleum" area represented by Murong Zhi's tomb, the "Yanghui Valley" mausoleum area represented by the tombs of Princess Honghua and Murong Zhong, and the "BaiyangShan" mausoleum area represented by the Dang's tomb. The tombs all have the basic characteristics of high-grade tombs in the early and middle Tang Dynasties, mainly based on the Tang Dynasty burial system, and have both Tuguhun culture, Tubo culture and northern grassland culture factors.

She said: "The discovery of this tomb group allows us to glimpse the changes in the material life, ideological concepts, cultural identity and other historical details of the Tuguhun people in the Tang Dynasty from the literal and physical level, vividly revealing the historical facts of the Tuguhun people's gradual integration into the Chinese civilization system in the past hundred years since the return of the Tuguhun people to the Tang Dynasty, and providing a typical case for enhancing national cultural self-confidence and casting a solid sense of the Chinese national community." ”

Fill the regret of not having a brush in the Tang Dynasty at home

The earliest white wine in The domestic era, the earliest and most complete "Hu Bed", the most complete set of iron armor weapons and equipment preserved, the largest and most complete preserved textiles in the Tang Dynasty, filling the regret of no Tang Dynasty brush in China...

In recent years, our province has continued to carry out archaeological investigation, exploration, excavation and cultural relics protection and research on the Tuguhun royal tomb group in the Tang Dynasty, and a number of achievements have created a "precedent" in domestic archaeology.

At present, more than 800 groups of cultural relics such as gold and silverware, lacquered woodware, leather and silk and linen fabrics have been excavated, such as wooden beds, large beds, six-curved screens, models of the House of Columns, complete sets of armaments based on iron armor, pen, ink and paper and other stationery supplies, as well as various types of silk fabrics, which are the first or rare discoveries of related cultural relics in China in the same period. An epitaph was unearthed, and the preliminary judgment was that it was the Tuguhun native ethnic script.

Since the discovery of the tombstone of Princess Honghua, daughter of Li Shimin, in 1915, a number of Tuguhun royal tombs and epitaphs have been discovered in the Nanshan area of Wuwei.

In September 2019, the Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology conducted rescue excavations of Murong Zhi's tomb in and around Tianzhu County, Wuwei City. As the only well-preserved Tomb of the Tuguhun Royal Family found so far, it was included in the "Archaeological China" project of that year by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

"Through analysis and research, the white wine in the silver bottle is the earliest white wine in China." According to the analysis of Chen Guoke, director of the Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, it was also found that the paper and pen in the four treasures of the study room were also found, and the physical objects of the Tang Dynasty brushes were first found to be preserved in Japan, and the tang Dynasty brushes were basically not seen in China, and two brushes were unearthed this time, and the detection and analysis pen tube was flax bamboo, and the pen head was wool, which filled the regret that there was no brush in the domestic Tang Dynasty.

Source 丨Lanzhou Daily