This mausoleum in the Eastern Han Dynasty was stolen many times, but some important funerary objects were still preserved. According to statistics, more than 250 unearthed cultural relics, including gold, silver, copper, iron, jade, stone, ancient, lacquer, pottery, mica and other textures. There are mainly copper belt hooks, armor, iron swords, iron shovel, jade beads, crystal beads, agate beads, stone laurels, stone walls, stone pillows, stone tablets, pottery figurines and so on. Among them, 59 stone tablets with inscriptions were unearthed, both rectangular and GUI-shaped, and the inscriptions recorded the names and quantities of buried objects. Eight of them are extremely precious, with inscriptions such as "King Wei Wu once killed the tiger with a halberd" and "King Wei Wu once killed the tiger with a spear". The inscription "Comfort Stone Commonly Used by King Wei Wu" is engraved on the stone pillow unearthed after the restoration of the mausoleum. These unearthed written materials provide an important and direct historical basis for studying and determining the identity of the tomb owner.
At the same time, a large number of stone reliefs were unearthed in the tomb. These stone carvings are exquisite in craftsmanship, exquisite in carving and rich in content. They have designs such as "God Beast" and "Revenge of Seven Women", and are engraved with words such as "Lord Sparing Cars", "Xian Yang Ling", "Ji Liang", "Assistant Minister", "Song Wang Che", "Ten Scholars of Wang Wen" and "Drunkers", which are rare in Han Dynasty stone reliefs. [4]
In the process of cleaning the grave, some remains such as skulls and limbs bones were found. Experts initially identified them as three people, a man and two women. The owner of the tomb is a male, and experts judge that the age is around 60, which is different from Cao Cao's 66. Presumably, this is the remains of Cao Cao.
After the expert argumentation in Henan Province, it was confirmed that the tombs of the Eastern Han Dynasty were Gaoling in historical records, but it was controversial in the west of Anfeng Township in Yang County and south of Xue Cun. However, according to the records of the Three Kingdoms, Shu Wei and the Ji of Emperor Wudi, Cao Cao issued the final order in June of 2 18 (the 23rd year of Jian 'an): "Those who bury the ancient will live in a barren land. According to its regulations, the west of Ximen Bao Temple was originally a mausoleum. Because of its height, it was not sealed or planted. "
The discovery of Gaoling confirmed that the location of Cao Cao's Gaoling, Cao Cao's hobby and the thin burial system advocated by him in the literature were all true and credible. The excavation results of Gaoling set a standard time scale for Han and Wei archaeology. After the announcement of the confirmation of Gaoling by Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, it aroused great concern from all walks of life. Some scholars say that the evidence is still difficult to support the "new theory", and some experts believe that the tomb of the Eastern Han Dynasty discovered this time is indeed Gaoling.
Yuan Jixi, deputy dean of the Institute of Chinese Studies of Renmin University of China, who specializes in the literature of Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, said that the evidence of Cao Cao's tomb in Anyang published by relevant parties is not first-hand material or strong proof. Publishing relevant news without direct evidence goes against the serious spirit of academic research.
Yi Zhongtian, a professor at Xiamen University, Fang Beichen, a professor at the School of History and Culture of Sichuan University, and Song Jian, director of the Archaeological Department of Shanghai Museum, and other well-known cultural scholars and archaeologists in the three countries hold a calm attitude, believing that this "new theory" needs further proof in the absence of more convincing unearthed cultural relics.
On February 29th, 2009, Hong Evening News published an article signed "Zhang Jingwei", which pointed out that a relatively tight logical chain had been formed in terms of epitaph form, unearthed cultural relics and bones in the tomb. There is no doubt that Cao Cao Gaoling was discovered this time.