But obviously, what we call archaeology is not a destructive excavation. It is precisely because archaeology we are talking about is not destructive excavation that its excavation will become very difficult.
In other words, we don't need the current scientific level, just last century. If we simply ignore all the consequences and directly use some known rude means to carry out excavation and archaeology, what kind of tomb can be difficult to live in? Dig? And then what?
One of the most obvious examples is that Zongshen, the Ming emperor, was excavated in an archaeological operation approved by the central government in the last century. Theoretically speaking, this kind of excavation of catacombs should be highly valued. However, due to the special times at that time, people at that time always took class struggle as the center, and due to improper archaeology, the various instruments and articles excavated by Emperor Zongshen of the Ming Dynasty were destroyed on a large scale, and even Ming Shenzong's own body was given by extremely radical people.
So I stressed from the beginning that the key is to look at this? Dig? What are the standards and definitions, what is the use of digging, what are the arrangements after digging, and what protective measures are you going to formulate after arranging? These all need to be explained. If there is not enough reason to explain and answer, what is the difference between forced excavation of this type of grave and destructive excavation by grave robbers?
After all, what was the tomb? Dig? Open it. Do you need to see this completely in order to protect the cultural relics inside? Dig? The purpose of the tomb is that if it is for the archaeology of cultural heritage, then the protection measures must be followed up. If there are no conditions, you must not dig; If it's stealing treasure, then the protection measures are a joke.
Back to the topic itself, why can't Wu Zetian's dry tomb be dug up until now? That's naturally because up to now, archaeologists are not sure whether the cultural relics inside can be protected with the current technical level and ability once they are opened. Will it repeat the archaeological tragedy of the tomb of Emperor Wanli? After all, the purpose of modern archaeology is to inherit culture, not to steal treasures or destroy cultural inheritance.
Wu Zetian is a famous person in history. There are many historical allusions about her. For this historical celebrity, the cultural and historical value of her tomb is terrible. Delaying the exploration of this value is a kind of respect and caution.
We can imagine whether some historical allusions about Wu Zetian have been tampered with by others. What if there is a historical truth hidden in Wu Zetian's tomb? If this truth is rashly opened and left this planet forever, who can afford this responsibility?
Besides, who can guarantee that Wu Zetian's funerary objects have no important information that has been lost now? In the archaeological history, a bamboo slip sleeping in a tiger field is a milestone event. Its appearance filled the blank of Qin law in one fell swoop, and through detailed information, it gave a very comprehensive description of the whole Qin empire for future generations.
If the female emperor of the Tang Dynasty buried a batch of such important materials with him and rashly started the excavation, it would really be a crime to destroy these materials. In a word, why can't Wu Zetian's dry mausoleum be dug up until now? It is not impossible to dig, but modern archaeological research is to inherit culture and history. Before we can completely guarantee that the archaeological process will not cause damage to cultural relics, Wu Zetian's dry tomb can only be dug up to now.