The statements in this article are based on reliable sources and are repeated at the end of this article
In archaeology, there are sometimes things that do not seem to be from this dynasty, but in short, they are beyond what everyone knew at the time, and this phenomenon is called "OOPArt".
In 2019, a small piece of brick with Chinese characters was dug up in the United Kingdom, and what is even more puzzling is that it is written with modern Chinese characters, but this site is obviously 1600 years ago.
So why do modern simplified Chinese characters appear in cultural relics more than 1,600 years ago, is it really as netizens said "crossing"?
01
On the western border of England, there is a remote village called Boxford, where the people are simple, free of industrial pollution, and most of the people live a simple and simple life on agriculture and animal husbandry.
The roads around the village are narrow and the transportation facilities are not perfect, making this land extraordinarily quiet in the hustle and bustle of modern society.
While the modern economy doesn't have much to do here, the history of Boxford has been full of vicissitudes, with different peoples, including Britons, Germans, and even Romans, leaving their footprints.
Due to the lack of industrial development, many historical sites have survived in Boxford, although most of these sites are dilapidated houses and palaces, and do not have much archaeological value, but professional archaeological teams have never set foot in the area, and the villagers' attitude towards the site is also indifferent.
In the autumn of 2019, a group of archaeologists unexpectedly visited the peaceful village and began excavations near a Roman ruin.
For several days, the archaeological team seemed to have achieved nothing, but just as the team was about to give up, a large number of ancient treasures suddenly appeared: intricate Roman mosaic frescoes, animal bones and bronze objects used by the Romans, and even tiles engraved with five Chinese characters.
When people think of "mosaics", they often think of pixelation that obscures details on electronic screens.
But mosaic is actually a decorative technique in the field of art, usually by stacking small stones to create a pattern.
As early as the 5th and 4th centuries BC, the Greeks began to create mosaics, and the Romans took the craft to new heights.
The Romans spread the art of mosaics from North Africa to the Black Sea coast, and even as far as Asia and Spain, making it all over Europe.
This fresco, which is made up of small stones pieced together, can easily be damaged during excavation, and in order to preserve this precious cultural heritage, many archaeologists have put in great efforts to finally unravel the story of the fresco.
Warriors did not fight for territory or glory, but to win the heart of the beautiful Hippodamia, a gladiatorial battle vividly depicted in the details of the mosaics.
Hippodamia, the jewel of King Onomaeus, was calculated to die at the hands of his son-in-law from the day he was born, and in order to avoid this curse, he set up a chariot race, declaring that only the winning warriors were eligible to marry Hippodamia.
Thirteen suitors were killed in the race, until Pelops, the blood of Zeus, fell in love with the beauty of Hippodamia, and the two secretly conspired to have Onomaus overturn the carriage during the race, and finally died under the horse's hooves.
However, in the photos displayed on the official website of the Berksford History Project, three inscribed stone tablets unexpectedly appeared, one of which was engraved in Chinese Simplified with the words "Jim is here", which caused a great sensation.
What the hell is going on?
02
According to the British inference of this mural, it should be 1,600 years ago, when the mainland was in the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and the script of each dynasty or country may be different.
Simplified Chinese only began to be used in the middle of the last century, so this is a big loophole.
Another is the way of writing the text, if it is really a text left 1600 years ago, then it must be written vertically, and the habit of writing horizontally on the stone slab is unique to modern Chinese.
Moreover, the five characters "Jim is here" themselves are very different from our Chinese characters.
Xiao Ming, Xiao Hong, at most, is Li Hua who can't escape from writing English essays, but this "Jim" is a foreign name at first glance, and what do we Chinese people like to write? It's "XXX comes here", not "XXX is here" at all.
This is obviously a Western way of thinking, they like to say "XXX is here", which is also very similar to the language habits of modern people, so in all cases, it is very likely to be a "prank".
Of course, this is not the first time such a thing has happened, and they are not the only ones who have "made a fool of themselves".
Earlier, near a farm in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, archaeologists in England had uncovered a ring of incomprehensible megalithic formations known to them as the "lying stone circle".
After careful archaeological research, British experts have confirmed that the remains date back to the Neolithic period, about 4,500 years ago.
They even speculated further about its function, which could be "to mark the seasons with these stone circles, or to trace the trajectory of the sun and moon," or it could be "a place for funerals or religious ceremonies."
So experts unveiled this major archaeological discovery with great fanfare, declaring that it would rewrite local history.
However, a local farmer came forward and said bluntly: "Lying Stone Circle" is his creation, and it will take no more than 20 years to complete.
What is even more thought-provoking is that in the archaeological records of the past 200 years in the West, it is difficult to confirm the age of many stone carvings, bronze statues and other antiquities.
If you hadn't read the description below, many people might have been mistaken for a matte mobile phone case on display.
The artifact has a modern look that looks like a smartphone ready to be embedded with a high-definition camera and fingerprint reader.
It's the perfect size to hold in your hand, and it could really be the case for a top-of-the-line phone!
But its true identity is a stone shovel dating back 6,000 years to the Stone Age, a common utility tool used in farming.
Similarly, archaeological excavations in Russia made an interesting discovery, where they found an item that resembled an iPhone case.
It's the perfect size for a big-screen phone, and it's also studded with colored gemstones, like a limited edition model.
But archaeologists speculate that its true use was actually as a luxury belt accessory in the tombs of women during the Xiongnu period.
A foundation once bid for a papyrus document purportedly from ancient Greece for a staggering €2.75 million.
Purportedly the authentic work of the famous Greek geographer Artemedorus, the document is rich in text, drawings, and an impressive map.
The map probably rewrites the history of the oldest map in Europe and is unique among all known papyrus documents.
There is no clear record of the papyrus's excavation, but scientific tests have revealed that it was manufactured between 15 and 85 A.D., and the age of carbon ink also corresponds to the 1st century A.D., so this papyrus of unknown origin fetched a high price of 2.75 million yuan.
However, when the scholars examined the papyrus again, they found that it was the work of Constantine Simonides, a 19th-century forger of antiquities.
The notorious crook used zinc mesh and acid treatment to give the papyrus the appearance of 2,000 years ago, and wrote forgeries in genuinely old or carefully formulated inks to create what he called "Artemedorus' Rare Works".
It was eventually revealed as a fake, the true value of which was only equivalent to 20 euros.
A similar scene has happened in the United States.
According to the Daily Mail, in 2015, a paleographer named John Rascamp stumbled upon a graphic text resembling an ancient Chinese bird and insect seal in the petroglyph site state park in New Mexico, USA.
This discovery aroused great interest among netizens, and was linked to the relevant records of the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" and "Zuo Chuan", as well as the widely circulated legend of the king of Shang who led his people to cross the sea to the Americas.
Some foreign media even reported under the headline "Did China Discover America?" and some of them claimed that the Indians might have Han Chinese ancestry.
Although there is a view in the academic community that there may be a connection between the Shang civilization and the Mayan civilization, more physical evidence is needed to support this hypothesis.
In addition to such things happening abroad, in fact, there are also things in our country, but what is shown is the wisdom of the ancients, and there is no element of deception.
In 1990, in Ganquan Township, a remote suburb of Yangzhou City, a villager was surprised to find an ancient tomb in the land after a lightning strike.
Archaeologists who heard the news deduced through rigorous investigation that the tomb may have originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty, that is, more than 1,900 years ago.
Before that, the tomb had been vandalized and its treasures were lost, leaving only a wonderful contraption of metal.
This artifact resembles a modern vernier caliper, and both the exterior design and the internal mechanism are strikingly similar to the vernier calipers we use today.
Reference Sources:
China News Network - Ancient Roman Cultural Relics in the British Soil There are Chinese characters on the unearthed stones (photo)
CCTV - Ancient Roman treasures unearthed 1600 years ago Suspicious engraved simplified Chinese characters are amazing
China Social Science Network - Ancient Roman treasures unearthed 1600 years ago Suspicious engraved simplified Chinese characters are amazing
China.com - Ancient Roman treasures unearthed 1600 years ago Suspicious engraved simplified Chinese characters are amazing