Is An Lushan the owner of Quyang Grange Tomb?

In 20 13, the excavation of grange tomb was terminated, but the identity of the tomb owner has been confusing. According to historical records, from the late Tang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties, Quyang was occupied by the forces of the buffer region, which successively belonged to Cheng Dejun and Yiwu Army. Judging from the unearthed cultural relics and excavations, so far, there are different opinions about the identity of the owner of the Grange Tomb, including the Anshi Rebellion, Li, Zhang, Wangchucun and Wang Du. Recently, more than a year after the archaeological excavation of the Millennium Tomb in Tianzhuang, the news that the owner of the tomb may be An Lushan has once again attracted attention from all walks of life.

An Shi Rebellion, a turning point in the fate of the Tang Dynasty, is not a strange word whether he is familiar with history or not.

So, is the Grange Tomb really An Lushan's tomb?

This mausoleum is bigger than the Emperors of Cixi and Guangxu, and Quyang is a city with a distinctive local culture ―― before it arrived in this city, billboards of "Quyang Stone Carving" were lined up on the roadside. Grange is located in the south of Quyang County15km, and the tomb is in the field at the east end of the village.

The grange tomb was discovered in May, 20 1 1. Archaeologists carried out a rescue excavation, which was completed in February 20 12. However, the secret of the tomb has not been uncovered with the termination of excavation. On the contrary, it has become more and more confusing, and the topic about it has always been hot in Hebei archaeological and cultural circles.

After I arrived at the grange, I first found Laotian, the grave keeper hired by the local cultural relics department. Under his guidance, you can enter the cemetery. Outside the tomb area, there is a big mound. Laotian said that this is the soil taken out during the excavation of the grange tomb. Now a protective shed has been built in the tomb area, and a blue sign stands outside the shed: "The national law is not afraid of crossing the nest." This humorous and tough language was the "masterpiece" of Zhang, the captain of the archaeological team of the Grange Tomb at that time.

Standing outside the tomb area, you can clearly see the geomantic considerations of Tianzhuang Tomb ―― surrounded by Huangshan Mountain, Tieshan Mountain and Mushan Mountain in the north, echoing Longshan Mountain in the south, and Dasha River winding from northwest to southeast ―― the tomb area is surrounded by mountains and waters, and the terrain is open. Laotian vividly pointed out that the three mountains behind this tomb are "like a plush chair."

Coffin room

Walking into the protective shed, the momentum of the tomb is shocking ―― the huge main tomb and ten ear rooms are all made of blue bricks and round domes. Liang Yong, a famous scholar in Hebei Province, once described his impression of this mausoleum as follows: "It is amazing to surpass the Cixi underground palace of the Qing Dongling and the Guangxu underground palace of the Qing Xiling."

When Liang Yong learned that I was going to Quyang, he hoped that I could find the answers to some questions. So, I have a piece of paper full of questions in my pocket-

Who created such a strange structure?

Who is the broken bone in the coffin? Why hasn't such a huge project been completed?

Who smashed such a luxurious tomb?

Why did the typical funerary objects in the Tang Dynasty leave traces of maintenance in the Jin Dynasty?

What kind of historical signal does Tomb Gate Beyond the Ninth Five-Year Plan show?

However, including himself, it is difficult to know how many answers to these questions can be answered and how accurate they will be. I tried to find it from the archaeological remains.

There are three pairs of human bones in the grave. I learned from Mr. Tian that the excavation of this tomb is somewhat different from other tombs. Because the main tomb was seriously damaged, archaeologists started with the exposed part-usually from the tomb door. In other words, the tomb was excavated from beginning to end.

After the main tomb was cleared, the diameter was 7.6 meters. The top of the main tomb is a huge gap, and some blue bricks are said to have been taken away by local people for building purposes a long time ago. Through the gap, the coffin bed is clearly visible. The coffin bed is made of stone and has been broken. Thick white marble stones are placed in mossy tombs, giving people a sense of historical vicissitudes.

From the shape, the main tomb is the back room. The tunnel connects it with the front hall. There is also a large white marble door frame at the northern end of the tunnel with an arched lintel on its forehead.

Looking closely at the main tomb, it is arc-shaped and nearly round. There is a ticket gate on the east and west sides of the tomb wall of the main tomb, which leads to two side rooms. The room next to it is empty. The side room is surrounded by stolen holes, and the irregular openings are like craters left on the battlefield.

In fact, long before the excavation, archaeologists knew that the tomb had been stolen many times, so it was not unexpected to steal the hole. In a thief's hole, English tapes even appeared in the 1980s. "It seems that grave robbers are quite motivated." Mr. Tian joked.

Those white marble fragments are sarcophagus, sarcophagus beds and other components. The sarcophagus bed is lotus petal-shaped, and the plane is trapezoidal. There are white marble strips on the top of the upper and lower beams, which are carved with flowers and painted with red and green colors. At the four corners between the top and bottom, there is a lux lift.

Ishigaki

The waist of the coffin bed is full of beautiful faces, and the faces look different. A wooden coffin is built in the top of the coffin bed, and a sarcophagus is placed outside the coffin bed. The sarcophagus is shaped like a coffin, with a curved top, gold-plated foam nails and arch plugs on the front and back sides. The front of the coffin is stuffed with embossed suzaku, and the back is stuffed with embossed basalt.

The door is on the south wall of the tomb, with gold-plated door nails and head rings. There is an arc tread in front of the coffin bed, that is, a "bridge". There are arc railings on both sides of the pedal. There are two people in the middle of the tread. The last one bends his limbs on his back, the next one crawls forward, his left arm touches the ground, and his right arm stretches forward to hook the last one's left foot, which is vivid and meaningful.

According to the investigation, the coffin bed is 4.03 meters long from north to south, with a width of 1.95 meters at the north end and 2.42 meters at the south end, and a height of 1. 1 meter, with a coffin on it.

In the eyes of archaeologists, this message is clear: "It means that the back room is only the owner of the tomb, and other funerals may be placed in the side room." Zhang said that he was then the captain of the archaeological team of Tianzhuang Tomb.

"Highlight that this tomb is dominated by the owner of the tomb, which is different from the general husband and wife burial tomb, but emphasizes the individual as the center, indicating that the identity is extraordinary." Zhang said, "The whole coffin structure is complex and exquisite, which reflects the prominent rank of the tomb owner." Zhang also revealed that at least three skeletons were unearthed this time, but their identities have not been determined so far.

It is said that the white marble lotus square column foundation, white marble octagonal prism and white marble basin were also found in the main tomb. These three items are part of the stone lamp. However, when the author interviewed, these have been transferred to the cultural relics warehouse and have not been placed on the scene.

Archaeologists dissected the foundation of the front and back chambers of the tomb, and found that the foundation was built on the fine sand layer, and then compacted layer by layer, and the foundation thickness was 0.6~0.8 meters. At the same time, the sealing soil at the outer edge was dissected, and it was found that before the sealing soil was compacted, the foundation groove with a depth of 0.7 meters was dug first, and then it was compacted upward from the bottom of the foundation groove.

"It can be seen that the degree of care of tombs is scientific and elegant." Zhang said to him.