Gu Feng told reporters that from the unearthed cultural relics, it can be judged that the owners of these two tombs are Yang Di and Xiao Huanghou. The most powerful evidence is the epitaph unearthed from Tomb No.1, which clearly records that the owner of the tomb is Yang Di, and the beginning reads "Epitaph of Yang Di in Sui Dynasty. But in the 14th year of Sui Dynasty, the emperor died in Jiangdu County, Yangzhou, which is consistent with the time and place when Yang Di was killed in Yangzhou in Jiangdu Palace coup recorded in historical records. At the same time, two teeth were unearthed in the tomb, which were identified by physical anthropology experts as men of about 50 years old, consistent with the age when Yang Di was killed. The high-standard funerary objects unearthed in the tomb, such as the thirteen-ring gold belt and the gold-plated copper shop head, are consistent with the identity of Emperor Yang Di.
Some legacy disputes
Although the owner of the mausoleum has been confirmed as Emperor Yang Di, a well-known person, there are still many controversies about the mausoleum itself: Was the mausoleum of Emperor Yang Di stolen? How many times has the mausoleum of Emperor Yang Di been moved? When and by whom was the epitaph discovered? The two teeth of Emperor Yang Di on display attracted many people's attention. Some people question why there are only two teeth left. Where are the bones of Emperor Yang Di? If grave robbers did it, how could they steal the bones?
Gu Feng thinks that the tomb No.2 of Xiaohou has been found to have obviously stolen holes, but it is unlikely that the tomb No.1 of Yangdi will be stolen. Because the mausoleum of Emperor Yang Di was hastily built at that time, the building materials were poor, and the roof might collapse in advance. It is not only difficult to judge the identity of the owner of the tomb, but also difficult to rob the tomb. In addition, the most powerful evidence that Yang Di's tomb has not been stolen is the discovery of the Thirteen Ring Gold Belt, which is the highest and most complete thirteen ring gold belt unearthed in China at present. It is a rare treasure, and it is impossible for grave robbers to miss such precious cultural relics in the process of stealing.
According to historical records, Yang Di's mausoleum has moved four times. Where is Cao Zhuang's tomb?
According to historical records such as Sui Shu, Book of the Old Tang Dynasty and Book of the New Tang Dynasty, the tomb of Yang Di was reburied many times: in the 14th year of Daye (6 18), it was first buried in Liu Zuotang, Jiangdu Palace, and then reburied by Chen Ling, the magistrate of Jiangdu, in Yang Di under the stage of Wugong Palace. In the third year of Wude (620) and the fifth year of Wude (622), Tang Gaozu Li Yuan was reburied in Yang Di twice. Therefore, some experts believe that Cao Zhuang discovered this time is the fifth burial place. However, Gu Feng believes that the tomb of Emperor Yang Di may be buried only once, that is, Chen Ling moved the coffin of Emperor Yang Di from Liu Zhuting in Jiangdu Palace to Wugongtai, and Cao Zhuang's tomb is probably the tomb near Wugongtai.
"There are two forms of reburial: one is relocation, which moves the tomb from one place to another, and the other is that the tomb site remains the same, but the funerary objects are placed in the tomb." Gu Feng said: "From Jiangdu Palace to Wugongtai, this is Yang Di's first relocation and burial, and it may also be his last. According to historical records and geographical investigation, Tang Lei and Wugongtai should be two landmark buildings in the same area. The reburial in the Tang Dynasty was not to move the mausoleum from Wugongtai to Tang Lei, but probably to renovate the broken tomb in this dense forest and put some funerary objects. "
It is speculated that the tomb of Yang Di in Cao Zhuang was built by General Chen Ling. Gu Feng thinks there are two reasons: First, Chen Ling dug up Yang Di's coffin from Liu Zuotang and put it in Jiangdu Palace for several months. In the meantime, Chen Ling should be building a mausoleum for Yang Di. In addition, the materials used in the tomb of Yang Di in Cao Zhuang are all bricks used for the wall of Jiangdu Palace, which eliminated the residual bricks with obvious burning damage for Jiangdu Palace project and also reflected the hasty construction of the tomb at that time. If the burial was carried out according to the regulations of the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, the shape and quality of the tombs could not be like this.
As for when and by whom Yang Di's epitaph was put into the tomb, there are different opinions. Judging from the words "the first year of Zhenguan" appearing on the epitaph, it is certain that the epitaph was not inserted when Yang Di was buried. It should be released by Emperor Taizong after he acceded to the throne, and some scholars believe that it was released after Xiao He was buried together.
merits and demerits
Historically, Emperor Yang Di always appeared as a dissolute, cruel and autocratic figure. For thousands of years, he has become a typical example of a bad king and tyrant in people's minds. But is this really the case?
Emperor Yang Di thought it was not enough to conquer the south by force alone. Before he ascended the throne, when he was the secretariat of Yangzhou in Jiangdu (now Yangzhou), he accepted talents from the south of the Yangtze River and treated religious leaders with courtesy. He also imitated Wang Dao, a famous figure in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and learned southern languages, which eased the hostility of southerners. In addition, starting from the overall situation of consolidating the long-term stability of the regime, Yang Di plans to dig a Grand Canal running through the north and south, linking the political center in the north with the economic center in the south. The opening of the canal directly promoted the prosperity of Yangzhou.
Yang Di is accused by the world of being dissolute and heartless, and there is a legend among the people that he traveled three times to Qionghua. "These are all fake things! It is the arrangement, fiction and distortion of folk literature works such as legends, novels and romances since the Song Dynasty. /kloc-during Yang Di's reign in 0/3, he did cruise around nonstop, but the cruise was not for fun, but to consolidate the new regime and achieve effective rule. " Gu Feng said, "The two sons of Emperor Yang Di were born with Xiao Huanghou. If Yang Di is really as dissolute as the legend says, he will have many children. Besides, according to official records, the relationship between Yang Di and Xiao Huanghou is very harmonious. Until Emperor Yang Di was killed, Xiao Huanghou accompanied him. "
Emperor Yang Di carried out reforms with great courage. But he was eager for quick success and instant benefit, and finally went to extinction. Gu Feng said that Emperor Yang Di was an ambitious emperor, which is not difficult to see from the title of his "great cause". He took Yao Shun as an example and tried to build an unprecedented achievement. According to the scholar Hu Rulei's estimation, in the eight years after he ascended the throne, he built 22 major public projects, with an average annual requisition of 4 million people's labor force, accounting for nearly one tenth of the national population. Yang Di was eager for quick success and instant benefit, built great projects, and abused the people's power, which eventually led to civil unrest and chaos. In 6 18 AD, Emperor Yang Di was killed by his subordinates in Jiangdu, and a generation of emperors fell.
At the end of the exhibition hall, there is a tombstone-shaped message board filled with visitors' comments on Emperor Yang Di. "Without Qin and Sui, there would be no Han and Tang Dynasties" and "Great achievements, a generation of British emperors" ... This is a review by the audience and a heartfelt evaluation of this controversial historical figure by contemporary people.
Learn from history to understand.
From the discovery of Emperor Yangdi's tomb to the exhibition of cultural relics in the tomb, the tomb of Emperor Yangdi has been controversial, but in the face of doubts, the archaeological team did not blindly argue, but continued to focus on archaeology and speak with archaeological evidence; At the same time, taking into account the expectations of the public, timely dialogue with the media and the public, according to the law, timely and scientific announcement of the results.
On April 20 14, the cultural relics unearthed from Yang Di's tomb met with the public in Yangzhou Museum. "It took only 1 year and 1 month from the discovery of Emperor Yang's tomb to the exhibition of cultural relics last March, which was impossible before." Gu Feng said that in the past, such a major archaeological discovery had to be studied by experts before it could be shown to people. The research process will take at least a few years, and experts who want to do relevant research can only wait patiently because they can't get archaeological data. And over time, the enthusiasm of the people will go down. Unearthed cultural relics will be exhibited soon, which not only meets the public's expectations, but also improves the public's awareness of cultural relics protection, and also promotes the exchanges between the archaeological community and people from all walks of life, and promotes the study of the history of the Sui Dynasty.
"The front is a short Qin dynasty, followed by a short Sui dynasty, followed by a long Tang dynasty. This phenomenon is very worth studying. " Gu Feng believes that Qin Shihuang and Yang Di both played very important roles in the history of China. They made drastic reforms and built large-scale buildings, which laid a solid foundation for the development of the feudal dynasty.
As feudal emperors, Qin Shihuang and Yang Di both had extraordinary talents, but they all had a common problem, that is, they were too eager for quick success and instant benefit, regardless of the lives of the people, and abused the resources of the people, turning the great project that originally benefited the people into a "performance project" that caused widespread indignation and resentment, which ran counter to the happiness and well-being of the people. How to deal with the needs of people's livelihood and the "performance project" has important enlightenment and warning significance for contemporary economic and social development.