Chinese culture has a long history, especially the "four major inventions" of the ancient mainland, which have attracted the attention of the people of the world. However, several discoveries in recent years have shaken the status of papermaking in the "Four Great Inventions", because archaeologists have found paper from the Western Han Dynasty in a site. What's going on here? If you want to know, let Xiaobian reveal the secret for you:
The concept of "four great inventions" originated from the British sinologist Ayothetti, a famous historian who was very interested in Han culture, and summed up the important essence of many Han cultures - the four major inventions - according to the development of ancient politics, economy, culture, military and other aspects of the mainland.
The "four great inventions" of the mainland are papermaking, compass, gunpowder and printing, of which papermaking has a second-to-none status and has had a great impact on the development of almost all civilizations in the world. Papermaking originated in the first year of the Eastern Han Dynasty, a papermaking technique invented by the eunuch Cai Lun in the palace. Prior to this, the writing carriers of the text were mostly turtle shells, silk and bamboo Jane, but the turtle shell and bamboo Jane were too bulky, and the price of silk was very expensive, which was not conducive to large-scale popularization.
Cai Lun invented the papermaking technique, the raw materials used are mostly bark, silk and linen, and rag fishing nets, etc., these materials are not only widely sourced, but also relatively cheap, while the processing process is more simple, and the finished paper writing obtained is favored by people at that time. Not only that, the papermaking technique invented by Cai Lun also reached the western region through the Silk Road, which revolutionized the development and progress of the culture of the western region and Europe.
As we all know, "invention" and "improvement" are completely two different concepts, "invention" means the first creation, and "improvement" is the promotion and reform on the basis of predecessors. At this time, a question ensued, why did Cai Lun change directly from "inventor" to "improver"? Could it be that the "four great inventions" of the mainland will become the "three major inventions"? What would be the reason for this debate?
In 1957, on the site of the Baqiao Brick and Tile Factory in Xi'an, archaeologists found a small clay pot. There is a western Han bronze mirror in the clay pot, and there is a clump of waste linen wire under the cushion, and archaeologists have found that the waste linen wire is actually the ancient paper "Baqiao paper" in the "Western Han Tomb". After scientific identification, it was found that the paper did belong to the Western Han Dynasty, and it was a kind of paper made of hemp, which was produced earlier than Cai Lun papermaking.
By 1986, near FangmaTan in Tianshui, Gansu Province, an ancient tomb of the Han Dynasty had been excavated by archaeologists and a paper-drawn map had been found. The map, placed on the chest of the tomb owner, is in a state of fragmentation, in which the largest fragment depicting the image is 5.6cm long and 2 .6cm wide, and the whole is dark yellow. Later, archaeologists found that the map paper is thin and soft and tough, although the fibers are arranged in a messy but thick and tight, it should be cut, poured, pulped, precipitated, extruded and other processes, which belongs to a kind of hemp paper in the early Western Han Dynasty.
In 1987, in the territory of Dunhuang City, Gansu Province, archaeologists found an ancient cultural site called Hanging Spring, which unearthed more than 30,000 cultural relics, which was listed as one of the "Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries in China in 1991". In addition to more than 15,000 Pieces of Han Jian, there are 24 pieces of hemp paper from the Western Han Dynasty, four of which are also written with ink books, proving that people in the Western Han Dynasty have long used this kind of paper as a writing carrier.
The above paper unearthed in the Western Han Dynasty has, without exception, become a strong evidence to shake the "Cai Lun papermaking" remarks, proving that as early as the Western Han Dynasty, people already had the concept of "paper" and mastered the method of making paper, which was earlier than the period of Cai Lun's papermaking. From this point of view, Cai Lun is not the so-called "inventor of papermaking", but "papermaking improver", and the "four major inventions" are beginning to be debated.
As for whether this statement is reliable? Some experts have raised objections, arguing that the hemp paper of the Western Han Dynasty before Cai Lun's papermaking, its fibers are rough and complex, should not be classified as "paper" at all, but a low-end writing paper, does not have mass production, and the value of popularization, so Cai Lun is still true. We still hope that many historians will come to a more convincing conclusion.
Wen xiucai, editor-in-chief of Wenlan Hairun Studio, written by: Special history writer: Changshan Zhao Zi worm