A generation of heroes Cao Cao was found to have "cheated"? The Cao Cao mausoleum unearthed in 2009 made new progress a few years ago, and the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology found three remains in the tomb, and after expert identification, the male of them was almost certain to be Cao Cao himself, but the other two women were not only unknown, but also pointed out that judging from their age, none of them was Mrs. Bian of the main palace.
▲ There are two female remains found in Cao Cao's tomb, but scholars pointed out that judging from their age, they do not seem to be Mrs. Bian. (Photo/Taken from the encyclopedia entry)
According to the "Records of the Three Kingdoms, Weishu and Later Concubines", Cao Cao once requested a burial with Mrs. Bian in his will, but the two female corpses are roughly estimated to be around 50 years old, and the other is about 20 years old, and Mrs. Bian was 70 years old when she died, so who are these two female remains? Is this 100% sure that it is Cao Cao's mausoleum?
According to historical expert Cai Teacher, since archaeologists announced the excavation of Cao Cao's tomb 10 years ago, whether this tomb is really Cao Cao's tomb has become a topic of keen concern for scholars. In recent years, with the evidence of archaeological excavations, it can almost be identified as the real tomb of Cao Cao.
▲ Teacher Cai said that with the unearthing of archaeological evidence in recent years, it is almost certain to be the Cao Cao Mausoleum. (Photo/Taken from the encyclopedia entry)
In 1998, a Luqian epitaph (Later Zhao Jianwu's Emperor's Emperor's Ma Duwei) was unearthed about 800 meters from the tomb in the northwest of Xigao Cave Village, and it was clearly recorded that it was 43 steps from the northwest corner of Emperor Weiwu's tomb. The tomb is of a relatively high standard, and has been unearthed with gui that only appears in the emperor's tomb. The nameplate and stone pillow excavated from the tomb bear the words "King Wu of Wei". According to historical records, Cao Cao was given the title "Duke of Wei" and later "King of Wei". Cao Pi called him "Emperor Wu" after the emperor, and "Emperor Wu of Wei" in history. The "King Wu of Wei" on the excavated cultural relics is completely in line with the title he was called at the time of his death.
In addition, Cai also said that the reason why the tomb was identified as Cao Cao's mausoleum can be summarized into four points, including that the tomb structure is from the Eastern Han Dynasty, rather than a brick chamber tomb with a certain arc on the four walls of a single tomb after the Western Jin Dynasty; The items in the funerary goods are all made in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and are specified by the Son of Heaven ritual; The age of the skull matches the age of Cao Cao's death; Cao Cao began to choose tombs in 218 AD, and died suddenly in 220 AD, so the tomb was not built in time, which is also reflected in the fact that some areas of the tomb are not complete, and in its pattern, it is impossible for tomb workers to cut corners, so it can be determined that they are rushing to complete the construction. It coincides with the age of Cao Cao's death.
▲ Archaeologists pointed out that the tomb was made in a hurry, and some construction methods were incomplete. (Photo/Taken from the encyclopedia entry)
As for the remains of the two women in the funeral, there are currently two theories, according to the "Three Kingdoms. WEI Shu. The excerpt from the Legend of Houfei mentions: Hou Taizu was ill and sleepy, and he couldn't afford to worry about himself, and sighed:
"I have never been negative in my heart. If death has a spirit, if Zi Xiu asks "where is my mother", what will I answer! ”。
Cao Cao had told him to be buried with the Bian clan, and there were indeed traces of a second excavation in the tomb, so the first theory is that one of the bodies was Bian, and the other younger body was Cao Cao's other concubine, Liu.
However, according to the history books, Bian was about 70 years old when he died, and the 50-year-old bone age in the tomb was not in harmony, so there is also another school of theory, that is, the two female remains are palace maids who were martyred for Cao Cao, and the evidence is that the female bones are of different colors, because in the same environment, theoretically the bones should not have different colors, so the reasonable explanation is that the woman was poisoned and buried.
However, Teacher Cai also stressed that the above two statements are only inferences, and who the remains of the women around Cao Cao are still need further evidence to prove!
Reference: "Three Kingdoms Zhi Weishu Wudi Ji"