Anti-robbery tomb design of Liao shengzong Qingling
This article is written by Ni Fangliu
Among the ancient Chinese imperial tombs, which one is the most powerful anti-robbery tomb design? Many netizens privately raised this question to me.
How to say it, if you look at the lethality in a short period of time, it must be the Qin Tomb of the First Emperor Yingzheng.
Qin Ling, the huge sealed earth is like a hill
According to the "History of Qin Shi Huang Benji", when the Qin Tomb was built, a crossbow was secretly placed at the entrance of the mausoleum, which was the most advanced weapon at that time, which could be fired continuously, equivalent to a modern machine gun, and if it rushed into the heart, it would be pierced by sharp arrows.
Such anti-tomb robbery methods are indeed powerful, and later the Han Wudi Emperor Liu Che also adopted this method when he built his Mausoleum.
However, this anti-tomb robbery device has an obvious defect, it is estimated that netizens can think of - that is, the crossbow will decay and destroy over time, will not work, and is no longer lethal.
In my opinion, the most powerful anti-tomb robbery design and means is the Liao Shengzong Qingling Mausoleum, which is simply fighting with the tomb robbers!
Qingyun Mountain, where the Liaoqing Mausoleum is located
What kind of means is it? This article "phoenix under the plane tree" headline number, discuss it with netizens.
First, let's briefly talk about the Liao Shengzong and his people.
Emperor Shengzong of Liao, whose Chinese name was Yelü Longxu and whose Khitan name was Yelü Wenshunu, was the sixth emperor of the Liao Dynasty.
Emperor Shengzong of Liao was one of the few powerful emperors among the ancient emperors, and was the Ming Lord of the Liao Dynasty. He ruled the country well, continued and developed the domestic and foreign policies of his father, Emperor Jingzong of Liao, and during his reign, the national strength was strong, and it was the peak of the Liao Dynasty, which was known in history as the "Rule of Jingsheng". The "Alliance of Yuanyuan", which humiliated the Northern Song Dynasty and humiliated the country, was forced to sign when the Liao Sheng sect was in power.
In the eleventh year of the Taiping Dynasty (the ninth year of the Northern Song Dynasty), on the third day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar (July 1, 1031 AD), the Holy Sect who had been emperor for 49 years collapsed in the palace north of the Dafu River, at the age of 61.
Liao Shengzong (stills)
On the 21st day of november in the lunar calendar of that year (January 12, 1032 AD), he was buried at the Yongqing Mausoleum.
The Yongqing Mausoleum is located in the southern foothills of Qingyun Mountain in the territory of sobriga Sumu in the present-day Chifeng City of Inner Mongolia.
The original name of this mountain was "Black Ridge", which was renamed "Yong'an Mountain" during the Liao Dynasty, and the site of the Mausoleum of Emperor Shengzong of Liao was later changed to "Qingyun Mountain".
The name was changed well, I went to the mausoleum area around October 2010 to investigate, the wild fruits on the mountain are fruiting, the grass in front of the mountain is yellow, looking up, the blue sky and white clouds, the weather is extraordinary, no wonder Liao Shengzong died and was buried here.
The Liao Shengzong made Qingyun Mountain his final destination, and there is another saying.
Khitan travel map
According to the "Liao History and Geography", Liao Shengzong passed by here in the autumn hunt before his death, optimistic about the strange autumn colors in front of him, and said a word to the entourage: "Long live me, when I am buried here." ”
Therefore, the crown prince who succeeded to the throne, Emperor Yelüzong of Liaoxing, obeyed the order and built a mausoleum for his father here. He also established "Gyeongju" in the southeast of the mausoleum to worship and guard the mausoleum.
After his death, Emperor Xingzong of Liaoxing was also buried in Qingyun Mountain, with the mausoleum name "Yongxing", and the mausoleum site was on the east side of the mausoleum of Emperor Shengzong of Liao. Yelü Hongji, the Liao Daozong who succeeded Emperor Xingzong of Liao, was also buried here after his death, and the mausoleum site was on the west side of the mausoleum of Emperor Shengzong of Liao, and the mausoleum name was "Yongfu".
Map of qingyun mountain mausoleums
In this way, Qingyun Mountain has 3 Liao Emperor Tombs distributed from east to west. According to the distribution location, people used to call the Yongxing Mausoleum of the Liaoxing Sect "Dongling", the Yongqing Tomb of the Liao Shengzong "Zhongling", and the Yongfu Tomb of the Liao Daozong "Xiling", collectively known as the "Qingling" (see above).
Gyeongun Mountain is about 15 kilometers north of Sobozhiga Sumu and is the remnant of the Daxing'an Mountains. Because there are 3 imperial tombs here, the folk commonly known as this place is "King's Tomb Ditch".
Liao Shengzong chose his final destination in Qingyun Mountain, which was not actually a whim, but a temporary rise, related to the beliefs of the Khitan people, who believed in a magical legend.
Khitan noble travel map (partial)
The Khitan people have a mountain mood, and muye mountain is the birthplace of the Khitan people, and the ancestors of the white horse god and the green cow goddess met and combined in the muye mountain, so there were khitan people. The Khitan people thus particularly admired the mountains, and in the past year they would sacrifice the mountains with green cattle and white horses.
The mountain complex influenced the Khitan people's choice of burial place after their deaths.
The Liao royal mausoleums and Khitan noble cemeteries will definitely choose places with mountains, believing that after death, they can get the protection of mountain gods and ancestors. The mausoleums of the Liao Emperor, without exception, are in the deep mountains and rivers with beautiful scenery and inaccessible people, which is the reason.
Like the Han Chinese, the Khitan people also pay attention to feng shui and value thick burials, and generally choose a place with a back mountain valley in the southeast foothills of the Yang Slope of the mountain, which is shaped like a dustpan.
The approximate location of the three Liao Emperor tombs in Qingyun Mountain
This has been confirmed by modern archaeological discoveries.
Archaeological exploration found that the tombs of the 10 emperors of the Liao Dynasty, as well as the royal family and empresses, were all concentrated in the Tuhe and Huanghe areas, the birthplace of the Khitan people, which were all lofty mountains and pleasant scenery.
In the early days, the Khitans did not build tombs and bury their bones like this.
The Khitans embraced shamanism and were popular for tree burials in the early days. Later, under the influence of the Han chinese and other ethnic groups in the Central Plains, funeral customs gradually changed, and customs such as cremation and earth burial appeared.
After the founding of the Khitan Dynasty, the funeral civilization was upgraded, forming a complete set of funerary rites of its own people, and the royal family also had a special mausoleum system - "chiseling the mountain as a temple". After the mausoleum is built, there will be buildings on the surface, but there is no tall sealed mound, which is also the characteristic of the entire Liao Emperor's mausoleum.
Qingyun Mountain Liao Emperor Mausoleum distribution indication stone plaque
Chiseling the mountain as a temple is called "relying on the mountain as a mausoleum" in the Central Plains, such as the Zhaoling Tomb of Tang Taizong and the Qianling Tomb of Li Gaozong.
The construction of Liao Shengzong's mausoleum was only begun after his death, and the construction period was very tight. In September of that year, Emperor Xingzong of Liao personally went to the site of Qingyun Mountain to inspect the construction of the Yongqing Mausoleum. Although the construction period is very tight, the quality of the project is not sloppy.
According to historical materials and archaeological findings, there is a hall in front of the Yongqing Mausoleum, the plan of the hall is square, there is a platform in front, and the two sides of the hall are out of the cloister and wrap around the courtyard. The front of the cloister is opened in the middle of the door, and there are double pavilions on both sides of the front door.
Yongqing Mausoleum underground palace structure, 15 is the back room, where the coffin is placed
The core location of the dungeon is brick, with three rooms, the front, middle and rear rooms, and a circular small ear chamber is built on the left and right of the front room and the middle room (see above). Such a complex dungeon is like a labyrinth, and the low-intelligence tomb robbers cannot estimate it after entering it.
The burial chamber is a dome room, and the tomb passage and the tomb chamber are painted with painted paintings, carved beams and paintings, which are exquisite and abnormal.
For example, the four walls of the middle room are painted with four landscape maps in spring, summer, autumn and winter, indicating the location of the four-hour bowl ("捺钵", Khitan language, meaning camp).
It can be said that the Yongqing Tomb is the most beautiful of the ancient Chinese imperial tombs, and the entire burial chamber is a treasure trove of fine arts.
Distribution of medium-chamber four-season mural paintings
The reason why the murals in the tomb of Liao Shengzong are so exquisite is directly related to Liao Xingzong.
Although Emperor Xingzong of Liao ruled the country without direction and achieved mediocre political achievements, he was a well-known painter with a high level of painting, and like Zhao Yao of the Northern Song Dynasty, he was a "painter emperor" with outstanding talents.
Therefore, Liaoxingzong painted murals on the tomb of his emperor Lao Tzu, and naturally spared no effort, using the best painters, the best materials, and the unqualified places had to be repainted.
Archaeology found that some murals have a layer of frescoes with the same content under the white ash, which should be caused by liaoxingzong's dissatisfaction after the powder was erased and repainted.
Yongqing Mausoleum Middle Room Southwest Wall Four Seasons Landscape Mural "Xia" (Partial)
Compared with the murals, the architectural technology of the Liao Shengzong Mausoleum, especially the uniqueness of the anti-robbery tomb design, is often ignored or despised.
When creating the Yongqing Tomb, it fully considers the problem of future tomb robbers patronizing, and its anti-tomb robbery means are combined, very powerful, practical and permanent.
For example, the filling soil is made of yellow clay with lime and coarse sand, with glutinous rice paste as a binder, after full stirring, it is compacted layer by layer, and its firmness is no less than that of modern reinforced concrete pouring walls, and it can only be planed out of a white spot at a time.
A huge robbery hole dug by modern people on the Yongqing Tomb
The tomb door is all stone masonry, coupled with the green brick main building up to 5 meters thick, it can be described as impregnable.
But these are the conventional anti-tomb robbery methods that everyone can think of, and what is more absolute is that the Yongqing Tomb "traps the river for defense."
What do you mean? It is in the underground palace to create a man-made river, such as a huge trap, so that the tomb robbers see sorrow, a little careless, death to the bottom of the water.
The river is so deep and wide that it cannot be passed by bare hands, and if it falls into it, life and death are uncertain.
This is not a fiction and legend of a tomb robbery novel, and modern archaeology has confirmed that the underground river in the Yongqing Tomb Underground Palace does exist. Moreover, the real river is more terrifying than the legend - it is actually a very large artificial trap, made of the entire burial chamber, and the burial goods are not in the water, and there is no way to steal it.
A water-filled dungeon (tomb in this article)
Where does the water in the river come from?
The design of the water source is also very clever and unexpected - using geographical characteristics, small holes are carved into the tomb wall, and after the water from the mountain seeps into the ground, it will flow into the tomb chamber along the hole.
In this way, in less time, the entire burial chamber became a vast ocean and was flooded.
Never worry about the river drying up, as long as it rains on the mountain, as long as there is a mountain spring, there will be water pooled in.
This design proved to be successful, and by the time of the Republic of China, the underground palace of Yongqing Mausoleum was filled with water, and tomb robbers were deterred.
Fighting with the tomb robbers, a generation of emperors will not hesitate to die under the water and make their underground palaces become the "East Sea Dragon Palace", is it fighting with the tomb robbers?!
The painted wooden coffin excavation site of the tomb of the Liao nobles in Turki Mountain, Inner Mongolia, is a national first-class cultural relic
However, Yonglingqing's ingenious anti-tomb robbery methods still failed to keep the body of the non-theft.
Because, no matter how powerful and ingenious the anti-tomb robbery design is, it cannot stop the official robbers!
After the fall of Jinxing, the victor of the war, the Jurchens, excavated all the imperial tombs of the Liao Dynasty and stole a large number of gold and silver treasures, and none of the three tombs of Qingyun Mountain was spared.
Since then, tomb robbers of different eras have patronized Qingyun Mountain to "filter the treasure".
During the Republic of China alone, many groups of tomb robbers visited the Yongqing Mausoleum (as detailed in the "History of Tomb Robbery in the Republic of China" published a few years ago), including county officials and provincial warlords, as well as foreign missionaries, Japanese archaeologists from Dongying, and so on.
Gyeongju White Pagoda (old photo of the Republic of China)
In the third year of the Republic of China (1914 AD), the county magistrate of nearby Linxi County organized migrant workers to rob tombs. It was found that the Yongqing Mausoleum Road was particularly long, and after entering, I saw the Earth River: "Since then, I have entered dozens of zhang, and the boundary of the Fudi River is broken inside and outside, the water is deep and surging, and Mo has to fly across." ”
In the nineteenth year of the Republic of China (1930 AD), tang Yulin, chairman of The rehe Province and warlord, sent a committee member surnamed Guo to come with more than a hundred people to dig it, and they bypassed the Dihe River and dug a hole in the back mountain to gain their hands.
The Japanese coveted the tombs of the Liao Emperors, and they were carefully calculated, and as early as the early years of the Republic of China, they had their eyes on them, and at least three groups of Japanese came to wang tombs to "investigate", and during the invasion of China, they finally succeeded and were able to enter the underground palace.
Among them, the fourteenth year of Showa (the twenty-eighth year of the Republic of China, 1939) was the most moving, and the "investigation" was the deepest and most thorough.
Gyeongju White Pagoda (present)
At that time, the Japanese East Asian Archaeological Society formed the "Liaoqingling Archaeological Team" with the participation of experts such as Shizo Tamura and Yukio Kobayashi to "archaeologize" the three Liao Emperor's tombs on Qingyun Mountain.
The Japanese conducted actual measurements and photographs of the Tombs, copied the Tanglin murals, stole some cultural relics, and later published a monograph "Qingling Murals".
At that time, there was still a coffin in the underground palace of Liao Shengzong, and the Japanese also saw it. They are not only interested in the exquisite murals of Yongqing Tomb, but also praise the architectural design of Yongqing Tomb, including anti-tomb robbery methods.
Japanese version of "Qingling Mural"
In the 1991s, tomb robbers visited Qingyun Mountain, and the Yongqing Mausoleum of The Liao Shengzong was once again destroyed.
In this case, in July and August 1992, the Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology carried out a rescue scientific excavation of the Yongqing Tomb, which discovered a strange anti-tomb robbery method, confirming that the "trap of the river, for defense" spread by the tomb robbery jianghu is not empty, but real!
Portrait paintings by The Yongyuan Tombs (Japanese 1949)
Yongyang Makuri (Japanese 1949)