In 1972, the tomb of Wu Baizhuang was discovered in Linyi, Shandong Province, and the owner of the tomb was a king of Langya during the Eastern Han Dynasty. The Han people have always paid attention to "seeing death as life", so most of them are buried thickly.
The tomb did not escape the fate of theft, except for some inconvenient to carry, there is almost nothing left. However, when archaeologists in Linyi City carried out rescue excavations of the Han tomb, they accidentally found this small crystal "divine beast".
More than 2,000 years ago, this small cute divine beast is only 2.3cm high and 4cm long.
Crystal clear crystal itself is relatively small. The ancient saying that crystal is called water jade, and the ancients' love for jade needless to say, the ancients valued its "its brilliance is like water, its firmness is like jade" characteristics.
This small crystal beast has a hole in the waist, and archaeologists speculate that it should be an ornament worn by the owner of the tomb.
Most of the cultural relics of the Han Dynasty have such a characteristic, that is, they are accustomed to placing good wishes such as immortality on the odd birds and beasts. In order to pin these good wishes, the Han Dynasty appeared [Han Eight Knives], a jade carving technique.
As a cultural statue, sculpture can better convey the aesthetic culture of the times, and from this crystal "divine beast", we can feel the exquisiteness of its sword technique. Coupled with the strong national strength at that time, the vigorous development of art further promoted the technology and diverse forms of expression of stone carvers.
Whether it is the funerary technology of the Two Han Dynasties or the carving technology of the Han Eight Knives, it represents the ancients' yearning for a better world, and this crystal beast is entrusted with the relics of the King of Qi to ward off evil spirits and pray for blessings.
Have you ever been to the Han Dynasty Hall of Linyi Museum? If you've been there, I'm sure you'll be impressed by it!