The ancient tomb unearthed a special bronze mirror, which made the experts on the scene excited, and called out the ancient "mirror of the demon"
The archaeological team excavated a rare tomb, and a special bronze mirror was unearthed in the tomb, and the archaeologists directly called it a "mirror of the demon", which made the experts at the scene extremely excited. So, what is the origin of the owner of the tomb? What is this bronze mirror?
As we all know, mirrors are a common daily necessity both in modern times and in ancient times, and this is an indispensable thing for women. However, there is still a little difference between ancient mirrors and modern mirrors, for example, the mirrors we use now are basically flat mirrors, and not necessarily in ancient times. It is reported that archaeologists unearthed a special cultural relics in the ancient tomb, it is also a mirror, but what is special about this mirror, so that the experts on the scene are excited, directly calling the ancient "mirror of the demon".
In fact, its special feature is that people do not regard it as a mirror in life, but more as an ornament. Because it can map the human face, it belongs to a kind of lens. This lens is mostly made of copper, and in the presence of strong light, a special pattern can be reflected on the wall, which is because it has light transmission. It can be said that it has different uses under different lights, and it is said that one thing has two uses.
As we all know, in ancient times, copper was also a relatively valuable metal, so people generally do not use copper mirrors for life, basically as a kind of funerary products. However, with the gradual development of the ancient economy and the differentiation of classes, the bronze mirror began to become a symbol of wealth, and some people with valuable status would use the bronze mirror for life.
A bronze mirror has also been unearthed in Shanghai, but people call this copper mirror "mirror of the demon", and its magic lies in its light transmission. Although there were many copper mirrors in ancient times, among so many copper mirrors, there were very few copper mirrors that could have light transmission. This is also understandable why people call this bronze mirror a "mirror of the demon".
It is reported that this bronze mirror, known as the "Mirror of the Demon", is now preserved in the Shanghai Museum. It has the same characteristics as the bronze mirror found in the Mawangdui Han Tomb, that is, it has light transmittance. What is interesting is that both sides of this bronze mirror are cast with inscriptions, one side of the seal is engraved with the inscription "Inner Purity to Show the Light", while the other side is written with the inscription "See the Light of the Sun". These two sentences also illustrate the special features of this bronze mirror.
Overall, the mirror is not large, weighs about 50 grams, is round in shape, and has a diameter of only 7.4 centimeters, just the size of our palms. Although the edge of the mirror is relatively wide, the mirror surface is slightly raised, which is a convex mirror. In ordinary times, the face can be illuminated, but in the case of strong light, the pattern and inscription on the back can be reflected on the wall, and people can see the text and pattern on the back of the mirror on the wall.
After discovering the peculiarities of this mirror, archaeologists studied it in depth. Upon closer inspection by archaeologists, it was found that the bronze mirror was thicker in places with inscriptions and patterns than in places without inscriptions and patterns. This creates a difference in the curvature of the mirror, which explains why the copper mirror has light transmission.
From a physical point of view, under the condition of sunlight, the convex part in a flat surface will cause the light to diverge, while the recessed part will be the opposite, which will make the light converge. It is precisely because of these uneven places that there will be a phenomenon that the light shines from the back, but the pattern can be reflected on the wall. This is the principle of the magic of the bronze mirror.
Of course, as mentioned above, the bronze mirror is not large, but the ancient craftsmen had to carve on this small mirror plate, and the difficulty of this can be imagined. Some archaeologists said that even under the conditions of our current technological development, it is impossible to reforge this bronze mirror. It can be seen that behind this bronze mirror is not only the immeasurable historical value, but also proves the degree of development of ancient casting technology in the mainland and how skilled the craftsmen are.
Archaeologists still have different opinions on how the bronze mirror was formed. Some experts believe that the bronze mirror is polished by the craftsman by grinding a little bit, and some experts believe that it is cast by quenching technology. But we have to admit that no matter which method is used, it shows that the ancient manufacturing technology of the mainland has developed to a certain extent, and the spirit of the craftsmen is worthy of our admiration.
But since the excavation of the two bronze mirrors of the Mawangdui Han Tomb and the Shanghai Museum, archaeologists have not found such bronze mirrors in any of its subsequent dynasties. This also means that this technology is likely to have been lost at that time, and has been lost for more than 1800 years. Because of this, the value behind these two copper mirrors is even more incalculable, because these two copper mirrors are the most powerful evidence of the ancient technological advancement of the mainland.
The excavation of this "mirror" has not only attracted the attention of the mainland archaeology community, but also attracted the attention of Western countries. The excavation of the bronze mirror has a certain impact on the world, and Western archaeologists call this bronze mirror a "magic mirror". It expresses the diligence and wisdom of the ancient working people of the mainland, and also indicates that during the Han Dynasty, the casting technology of the mainland in bronze mirrors once reached its peak.