Human sacrifice: The dark history of human sacrifice as a sacrifice is a cruel sacrifice in ancient society, in which human beings are sacrificed as sacrifices to ancestor gods and heavenly gods like livestock for well-being and protection. There are two forms of human sacrifice, one is to sacrifice people as sacrifices and the other is to use living people as funerary offerings. In China, the phenomenon of human sacrifice can be traced back to the early Yangshao culture six or seven thousand years ago, and through the inheritance of multiple cultures, especially in the late Shang Dynasty, human sacrifice reached its heyday. In the tombs of the Shang Dynasty, archaeologists have found a large number of human sacrifices and human martyrdom, and the scale is shocking. In the excavation of the Erligang site in Zhengzhou City, archaeologists found a large number of human sacrifices and human martyrdom. In one pit, five adult skeletons and two child bones were found, which were buried on several overlaps. In another pit, more than a dozen adult bones and several pig bones were buried in layers. A tomb containing four adult bones, four human skulls and a pig bone was also found in layers. Most of these sacrifices and martyrs were prisoners of war and slaves, who were buried in graves after being killed. Archaeologists estimate that if the tomb had been restored, the number of martyrs could have been three to four hundred without being excavated.
Most of these sacrifices and martyrs were minors, some even young children, and their lives were brutally taken away and sacrificed. In the late Shang Dynasty, the scale of human sacrifice and martyrdom was even greater. For example, in the Wang Mausoleum Cemetery in the northwest gang of Houjiazhuang on the north bank of Huanshui, although it has undergone many excavations, a large number of human sacrifices and martyrdom have still been found. In the center of the tomb, one person and one jade were buried, and there were two pits in each of the four corners, each of which buried one person, one dog and one bronze ge. Two full-body human bones, 61 headless limbs and 73 human skulls, were found in the rammed earth of the cemetery. There are also 22 sacrificial pits on the east side of the grave, each of which contains between 1 and 7 martyrs, for a total of 68 people. According to expert estimates, a total of 225 human sacrifices and martyrs were found in this tomb. The scenes of their deaths after being brutally murdered and buried in the earth are chilling. In addition to burial sites, the construction of large buildings is also an important place for human sacrifice and martyrdom. Taking the ruins of the capital and palace of the late Shang Dynasty in Xiaotun, Huannan as an example, archaeologists have discovered four types of sacrificial rituals. During the groundbreaking ceremony, small pits were dug and the foundation stone was laid with dogs or children. During the foundation ceremony, small pits were dug and the foundation was laid with dogs, cows and sheep.
During the Anmen ceremony, small pits were dug and dogs and human animals were used to come to Anmen. During the inauguration ceremony, carts, horses, people and beasts were buried. Archaeologists estimate that if all of them were restored, the number of people dedicated to the sacrifice could reach 833. When these people were used for sacrifice, they were killed, and their lives were treated as a merciless sacrifice. The phenomena of human sacrifice, human sacrifice, and human martyrdom were not limited to the Yin Shang dynasty, but were also found elsewhere. For example, in the Shang Dynasty burial area of Liuli Pavilion in Hui County, Henan, a large number of human sacrifices and martyrdom were found during excavations here. In the excavation of Yidu Subutun in Shandong Province, a wealth of human sacrifices and martyrdom was also found. These discoveries shed light on the dark side of human history, where human beings sacrificed the lives of others for the sake of sacrifice and the need for power. The alarming phenomenon of human sacrifice, human sacrifice and human martyrdom is a shameful chapter in human history. Through archaeological research, we can understand the harsh reality of ancient society, and can also remind people to cherish life and respect others. Today, we are free from this cruel act of sacrifice, but we must not forget this darkness in human history.
Only through reflection on history can we better face reality and protect human dignity and security. In modern society, human values and dignity should be paramount. We should uphold humanitarian values and oppose any form of human sacrifice and violence. At the same time, we should also strengthen the study and education of history, so that more people can understand the dark side of human history to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. We have come out of the era of cruel human sacrifice and martyrdom in ancient times, but in modern society, we still face many problems where human life is threatened. War, terrorism, violent crime, etc. are all violations of human dignity. How to protect human life and dignity has become an important issue facing us. We should think, in what direction should human society develop? How to build a peaceful, just society with respect for human rights? This is a question worth pondering, and we need to work together to answer it. Human sacrifice and human martyrdom in the late Shang period: From the records of the oracle bones, human sacrifice and human martyrdom existed as a system in the Shang Dynasty as an important period in Chinese history, and it is also one of the main sources of oracle bones.
In the oracle bones of the Shang Dynasty, we can see records of human sacrifice and human martyrdom, which indicates that human sacrifice and human martyrdom in the late Shang period have become a system. According to the relevant records and statistics of oracle bones, the Wuding period was the period with the largest number of human sacrifices, with a total of 673 oracle bones, 1006 bu words, and 9021 sacrifices. The largest number of festivals reached 500 people. The number of human sacrifices in the periods of Dixin, Kangding, Wuyi, and Wending was 443 pieces, 688 bu zhi, and the number of sacrifices was 3205. The maximum number of people at a festival is 200. The number of human sacrifices in the Zugeng and Zujia periods was 100 pieces, 111 bu zhi, and the number of sacrifices was 622. The largest number of people at a time is 50 Qiang people. The number of human sacrifices in the Diyi and Dixin periods was 93, 117 Bu Zhi, and the number of sacrifices was 104. The maximum number of people at a festival is 30 people. Through documentary records, it can be known that the Shang Dynasty had frequent foreign wars in the late Shang period, and obtained many prisoners of war. However, human sacrifices related to prisoners of war are rarely documented in oracle bones.
A passage from the Wuyi period mentions that the Shang king ordered the Qiang slaves to reclaim wasteland, indicating a major change in society at the end of the Shang dynasty, which no longer killed prisoners of war in large numbers, but transformed them into agricultural productivity. This is closely related to the changes in the downplay of ghosts and gods, social trends and religious ideas by the emperors of the late Shang dynasty. However, from another point of view, from the Wuding to Diyi and Di Xin periods, the Shang Dynasty used human sacrifice and human martyrdom less and less, which is also related to the strong rise of the Zhou people as the priest and Fang Bo of the Shang Dynasty. According to oracle bone records, from Pangeng to the death of Dixin, a total of 13,052 people were used for human sacrifices, and another 1,145 uncounted people. If one person per verse is counted, then at least 14,197 people were killed as sacrifices. However, this number is not entirely accurate, as there are many oracles lost abroad, and some that have been damaged or have not yet been discovered. Among them, the number of sacrifices of Qiang sacrifices alone reached 7,426, accounting for 52.5% of the total number of human sacrifices, not including the 324 unspecified number of divine messages.
Archaeologists have re-excavated the remains of tombs and sacrificial pits in the Yinxu King Mausoleum area excavated in 1976, and analyzed them by means of oracle bone and strontium isotope technology archaeology. The results of the study showed that these animals were basically foreign captives with the main component of the Qiang people. This also proves from another aspect that at the end of the Shang Dynasty, foreign wars were frequent and prisoners of war were obtained. To sum up, human sacrifice and human martyrdom in the late Shang period existed in the society of the Shang Dynasty. From the oracle bone records, it can be seen that the number of human sacrifices and human martyrdom varies from time to time, but the overall trend is gradually decreasing. This is closely related to the social changes of the Shang Dynasty, the rise of the Zhou people, and the impact of foreign wars. However, there are still many controversies about the specific reasons and significance of human sacrifice and martyrdom in the late Shang period. Some scholars believe that human sacrifice and human martyrdom are a religious ritual, an offering and prayer to the gods. Other scholars believe that human sacrifice and martyrdom are a means of social control that maintains social order and political stability by sacrificing human life. In future research, we need to further explore the causes and significance of human sacrifice and martyrdom in the late Shang period, and their impact on the social and cultural development of the Shang dynasty.
Only by understanding this phenomenon can we better understand the nature and evolution of ancient societies. Finally, I would like to ask a question, do you think human sacrifice and human martyrdom in the late Shang period was a religious ritual or a means of social control? Why? Welcome to leave a message to share your insights and opinions.