Text | Wang Yuanfang
"The great tomb of Bailuyuan Jiangcun in Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, is the tomb of Emperor Wen of Han." On December 14, 2021, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage officially announced this archaeological result, solving the mystery of the location of the Tomb of emperor Wen of Han. Behind this is the unremitting efforts of generations of archaeologists for 55 years. In 1966 and 1975, Wang Xueli and Wu Zhenfeng of the Shaanxi Institute of Archaeology rescued and excavated small burial pits in the eastern and southern tombs of Empress Bo; in the 1980s, Liu Qingzhu and Li Yufang of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences conducted a systematic investigation of the Eleventh Tomb of the Western Han Dynasty; in 2001, the black pottery figurines were stolen, exiled to the United States, and returned to Xi'an several times; in 2006, large tombs such as the Jiangcun Tomb were discovered, which opened a discussion on the specific location of the Baling Tomb; in 2021, the Jiangcun Tomb was determined to be the Basing Tomb.
Exterior view of the Baling Tombs area
After 55 years, the identity of Gangchon Tomb has finally been settled, and the speed of network dissemination has made this blockbuster news quickly enter the public eye. Today, the presentation of archaeological work is no longer just a borrowing of thick excavation reports, but also the diversity of media forms to give the work more exposure. In recent years, the tomb of The Marquis of Haixia, the ruins of Sanxingdui, and today's Baling excavations, archaeological work is experiencing more exposure than ever. Archaeology has changed the label of "unpopular" in the past and has become the keyword of cultural boom.
Indeed, archaeological work needs to be "seen", not only because we can understand history through the excavation of cultural relics, but also by the group of people who are engaged in field work behind archaeological work. Nowadays, literary works, film and television dramas, short videos and other channels help us to build an understanding of a certain industry, but some non-professional narratives and displays make the public's understanding of the industry insufficient.
Taking archaeological work as an example, "archaeology is not digging treasure", not real money and silver are precious, some seemingly ordinary pottery, simple vessels, may be to understand the history of the "auspicious light piece feather". And cultural relics are not always as glamorous as they are displayed in museums, gray-headed, far away from the hustle and bustle, willing to sit on cold benches... In fact, the archaeological work itself is hard and tedious. As mentioned in the report, "the location of The Baling cannot be determined in a day", it took several generations of effort to be determined. Even, as some archaeologists have mentioned - "there is no digging, there is a sense", archaeological work can not be evaluated by whether cultural relics have been found and how exquisite the cultural relics are.
Archaeological work enriches our understanding of history, and the history that we are proud of is not only based on the records of the documents passed down from generation to generation, but also by the telling of cultural relics. Today, when we understand the past, cultural relics are undoubtedly important materials. At the same time as Baling was discovered, countless archaeological teams were working across the country. What we should think more about is how to continue to let the archaeological industry "out of the circle" after the heat? An industry is concerned and recognized, and it cannot always be achieved by rubbing hot spots and producing results. After all, being far from the city, obscure, and decades-old is a common feature of the archaeology industry.
View of the excavation site of Gangchon Tomb No. 1. Image source: Shaanxi Archaeological Research Institute
In recent years, archaeological experience activities, panoramic excavation live broadcasts, featured cultural and creative products... Combining archaeological work with people's interests, and then using the innovation of communication means to stimulate people's interest and closeness to archaeology, may be an important opportunity and window for archaeological work to be "seen". In recent years, the public's attention to archaeological work has created a sense of participation in public archaeology. But at the same time, we must also see that the charm of history and culture itself attracts attention from archaeological work, which also requires that the archaeological industry still needs to uphold its due character.
Hot video recommendations
More
Pay attention to the "Guangming Times Review" WeChat video number
Pay attention to the "Guangming Daily" WeChat video number
Text: Wang Yuanfang
Recitation: Wang Qian
Editor-in-charge: Wang Zimo
Editor: Zhang Yongqun Wang Yuanfang