Chapter 132
le, my first mission was in Shunde.This job was a Zhou Dynasty tomb. Because of a severe shortage of manpower, I was chosen by the foreman to do the grunt work of digging. I was the youngest member of...C carefully studied the outlines of the patterns on the cover, and said in surprise: "This painting is probably a pattern of tomb guardians. Look closely, isn't this pattern similar to the bivalve stone carvings unearthed decades ago in Puyang, Henan
Yao Yumen nodded repeatedly after seeing it, "Don't talk nonsense, you're really similar. If I remember correctly, that site in Puyang from back then was from the late Neolithic period, right It's much earlier than the Western Zhou Dynasty."
">
I couldn't understand what they were saying, so I asked Jade Sister what this "蚌塑" thing was.
Yu Jie told me that this thing has a monkey's tail and a pig's head. When it was dug up, no one recognized it. Later, a scholar discovered that the prototype of this thing is very similar to a creature called "Bèngshù" in the ancient Shan Hai Jing.
That's how the term came to be. People in the field all believed that the piece from Puyang was unique, but here we have another bronze artifact with the same pattern.
"Oh, I see. That's truly valuable, but unfortunately, it's all rusted and rotten."
I sighed, lamenting the fate of this precious bronze artifact.
Black rust is a term used in the tomb robbery trade. This type of rust is the least desirable among those involved in tomb robbing because bronze objects with this rust almost always come from "dirty pits." Things from "dirty pits" are the cheapest and in the worst condition.
Just to add something else.
People in ancient China categorized the patina colors of bronze artifacts from the Shang and Zhou dynasties to the Warring States period into four types.
Jade has the saying of judging jade by its appearance, and bronze wares are valued based on their rust.
These categories are dry rust, also known as flat rust, which is the kind that is green all over. It is common in northern regions such as Hebei, Shanxi, and Inner Mongolia.
The second type of rust is quicksilver rust, specifically referring to things fished out of the water. This rust is a white layer and is poisonous. Bronze artifacts with quicksilver rust must be treated before handling, otherwise you will be poisoned.
That's red and blue anti-lead rust. This kind of rust sells for the highest price in the industry. Boss Sun once told me that if you encounter a large cargo of red and blue anti-lead rust, don't use a cleaning method to wash it, otherwise the price will be greatly discounted.
The last kind is the black rust on this bronze object right before your eyes.
The black rust growing on the bronze indicates that there was a dirty pit underneath.
"Dànkōng is referring to places like dung heaps, latrines, pigpens, and sheep pens—places that are dirty and filthy."
Holding the bronze artifact to his nose, he wrinkled his brow and said, “Sure enough, it smells like ** and piss.” Real grave robbers have a keen sense of smell, and this man was an old hand at the job. We naturally wouldn't doubt his words.
Continuing to dig, two more bronze artifacts covered in black rust were unearthed. The two newly discovered pieces had a more unusual shape, each different from the other. One lid was engraved with a tiny swimmer, complete with fish scales, churning about in the water.
The last one was even weirder, taking the shape of an eight-legged monster with a tiger's head. A four-legged snake was coiled around its neck.
"This...these other two, aren't they ancient totems worshipped by the ancient Yue Kingdom" Hongjie exclaimed in surprise after looking at them.
"Little Red, what do you know" he asked.
"Yes, that's right. Those are the two things. I was interested in ancient creature legends before. I've read the old version of Shan Hai Jing more than once."
This little person with fish scales swimming in the water is called Yu. That thing with eight legs and a tiger's head is called Zuqi. The first one dug out is indeed called Bengsu.
">
" Let me know if you'd like to translate any other text!
These patterns were once worshipped in the totemic culture of the ancient Yue people.
"Head, Yunfeng, you continue digging down. I suspect there's still something else to be found."
"
" Let me know if you have any other text you'd like translated!
Hong Jie propped her chin and pondered, "Yun Feng, do you still remember the patterns on the golden coffin and silver casket"
I said of course I remember, the golden coffin and silver casket were engraved with soldiers, and those soldiers had four-legged snakes coiled on their heads.
"That's right," Hongjie nodded, "The soldiers of the ancient Yue Kingdom had four-legged snakes on their headwear. This must be the prototype."
">
She looked at everyone and said in a low voice: "The clues are connected. This person, the Marquis of Jie, is not only a nobleman from the Western Zhou Dynasty, but he may also be a descendant of some ancient Yue people from the State of Yue. Otherwise, the Marquis of Jie couldn't have brought these totemic elements into his tomb."
The totemic ancestors, these patterns were not just patterns; thousands of years ago, they were also a form of writing. This was a pictographic script used by the ancient Yue people. Today, no one can decipher it, and no one knows what these animal patterns represent.
However... there was a deceased old professor who, before his passing, published a note. In his note, he believed that...
">
"These patterns, which are too ancient... may be the origins of oracle bone script."
”f ritual.Later, I thought it was a hallucination caused by smelling Huang Bai Lao's face.“No, no, this isn't right,” Hong Jie refuted repeatedly: “White conch shell, dragonfly eye, flower glass, cat's...