Archaeologists use microscopes to observe specimens. Photo by Tong Xiaoyu
Zhongxin Network Hangzhou, February 23 Title: Exploring Zhejiang Science and Technology Archaeology: "Attesting" to five thousand years of civilization and opening the "Perspective of God"
Author Tong Xiaoyu
Where do liangzhu's stone and jade come from? Ji Xiang is now doing this research. Graduated in geology, he is now an important force in the field of scientific and technological archaeology of the Zhejiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. Microscopes, portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometers and other equipment are his "archaeological weapons" in addition to Luoyang shovels and small brushes.
Scientific and technological archaeology is the application of natural sciences and other related disciplines and methods and technologies to carry out archaeological research, which is divided into digital archaeology, animal archaeology, plant archaeology, jade science and technology archaeology and other fields.
Ji Xiang introduced the ancient city of Liangzhu on the satellite map. Photo by Tong Xiaoyu
In Zhejiang, scientific and technological archaeology is no longer an "emerging" word. Archaeologists use relevant equipment to "verify" Liangzhu's 5,000-year-old civilization or open a "God perspective".
"Zhejiang's scientific and technological archaeology category is relatively sound among archaeology institutes at all levels in China." Ji Xiang, the fourth generation archaeologist of Liangzhu, said.
Previously, the ruins of Liangzhu Ancient City were included in the World Heritage List, marking the recognition of China's 5,000-year civilization history by the international community.
Nowadays, walking into the Liangzhu Site Archaeology and Conservation Center, you can see that a number of scientific and technological laboratories have been set up here, and the archaeological staff is engaged in research on plants, animals, and jade science and technology archaeology.
Large and small stones placed in the laboratory. Photo by Tong Xiaoyu
In addition to the construction site, Ji Xiang spent most of his time in the geological and archaeological laboratory. There are countless cabinets of collections, and countless plastic baskets on the ground, which contain stones of different sizes and shapes, most of which come from the Liangzhu site.
His job was to identify these stones and figure out where the Liangzhu people quarried the stones from and how they transported them. "If you look at it with the naked eye, you can only judge a rough idea." However, under the equipment, it is possible to analyze the mineral structure of the stone, which kind of stone it is. ”
The study found that the stone came from different regions, one or two hundred kilometers away from the ancient city of Liangzhu, or even farther. This discovery provides evidence for the study of the living and production mode and social outlook of liangzhu ancient city.
In addition to "verifying" history, in the view of Zhang Yixin, an archaeologist at the Zhejiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the role of scientific and technological archaeology is also to assist traditional archaeology and continuously broaden the research field of archaeological work.
Her office was no different from the average office worker, a desk, a computer. But a closer look reveals the difference: instead of a document on the computer, you have a contour diagram; what hangs on the wall is not a calligraphy or painting, but a satellite image.
Zhang Yixin said that his job is like "navigating" for field archaeology. Now, she is using the contour diagram obtained from surveying and mapping to make a digital elevation model, combined with historical remote sensing images, hoping to provide a basis for the search for drainage outlets and canals at the Shi'ao Ancient Rice Field Site in Ningbo, Zhejiang.
Zhang Yixin is drawing a digital elevation model. Photo by Tong Xiaoyu
The digital elevation model is to paint objects at the same height on the map with the same color, and different colors represent different heights, and archaeologists can use this feature to identify the site. "It's like opening up the 'God perspective' and making archaeological surveys and excavations more targeted." Zhang Yixin said.
Remote sensing technology has long been used in Zhejiang archaeology. More than a decade ago, Wang Ningyuan, an archaeologist in Zhejiang, used remote sensing images to discover the low dam of the Liangzhu water conservancy system and the outer city of Liangzhu Ancient City, thus gradually forming an overall understanding of liangzhu ancient city and water conservancy system.
Zhang Yixin said that at present, the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology has collected early aerial films from 1940 to 1970 in Zhejiang, and is currently doing some basic registration work, and dozens of site surveys in Zhejiang have adopted these images.
At the same time, the archaeologists also made a three-dimensional model from some of the images and imported them into the mobile device. Once you go out to do a site survey, click on your phone or tablet, and you can immediately reproduce what the landscape of different eras looked like.
Scientific and technological archaeology is a tiger for traditional archaeology, but Ji Xiang still maintains "cold thinking". "Technology is an aid, and no matter how fine the equipment, it is a tool. The most important thing is that there is such a team, and there are professional people to do professional things. (End)