Crystal cup excavation site
In the 1990s, this area with the remains of ancient tombs used to be a brick factory. The workers found a small hole while digging the mud of burning paper bricks. They thought the cave was a bit unusual, so they immediately reported it to the relevant departments. After hearing the news, the relevant departments sent experts to carry out rescue excavation. After a period of efforts by experts, they found that the ancient tomb was not attacked by grave robbers and was still well preserved.
For the purpose of cultural relics protection and archaeological investigation, experts continue to study this ancient tomb. During the research, experts made a comprehensive appraisal of the ancient tomb according to its shape, pattern and cultural relics found in it, and determined that it was probably the tomb of the Warring States period. Ancient tombs in the Warring States period were often built in groups, so experts expanded the scope of excavation and found a larger ancient tomb nearby.
While cleaning this bigger grave, the experts found a shiny and strange tool. After cleaning the silt and topsoil, transparent materials are exposed. This kind of vessel looks like common glass in modern life, and its shape is very similar to today's glass. Why does this kind of glass, which is unremarkable in ordinary life and is unlikely to be picked up even if it is thrown on the ground, appear in the ancient tombs of the Warring States Period?
Many people have speculated that this glass may have been accidentally left in the tomb by a grave robber. At that time, he was guarding the tomb in the dark, and now we have found it. However, this speculation is contrary to the expert's previous view that "the ancient tomb is well preserved and there is no trace of theft". So what is the truth, is it an expert's mistake or a glass that has crossed the Millennium to the Warring States Period?
Experts can't jump to conclusions by guessing, so they send this "glass" to the laboratory for further research. Through further observation in the laboratory, experts found that this is not an ordinary glass, but a water cup made of pure crystal, which has experienced thousands of years of wind and frost and is a real Millennium treasure.
Warring States crystal cup artware
This crystal cup is cut and polished by a whole piece of pure crystal. Experts believe that China can't find a second crystal with such high purity, so where did this crystal come from? Due to the lack of information at that time, the source of the original crystal stone has been difficult to trace, so we can only explore its use.
Crystal is an extremely rare and non-renewable resource. Even in modern times, a whole crystal is an extremely precious material, and few people are willing to directly polish it into a cup. Under the conditions at that time, only people with extremely noble status could own such gems, and it was even more difficult to polish them into such exquisite crystal cups. This also shows the preciousness of this crystal cup.
So how did the ancients polish the crystal cup? This crystal cup is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. The cup wall is extremely thin and the whole is very bright. The inner diameter is also very narrow, and people can't put their hands in. So how is this crystal cup made? We all know that crystal is a very hard material, and it is impossible to carve traces with a knife. But high hardness does not mean that it is not fragile, and the brittleness of crystal is also extremely high. Therefore, you need to be extremely careful in the production process.
You know, the ancient polishing technology is far from modern, and the production process of this crystal cup is even more difficult during the Warring States period. According to experts' judgment, this Warring States crystal cup was made by arc grinding process. By the Warring States period, hand-polished jade articles were gradually mature, and it was not impossible to polish crystal minerals, but it was also feasible to use items with higher hardness such as emery as the medium.
But these are only experts' speculations, and there is no actual evidence to prove it. No one knows how craftsmen polished it during the Warring States period. We only know that this crystal cup is extremely precious. The excavation of this crystal cup makes us admire the craftsmanship of ancient craftsmen even more.
Although many crystal products have been unearthed at home and abroad, such as crystal cups unearthed in Afghanistan. Compared with the Warring States crystal cup, it is not as high as the Warring States crystal cup, and its polishing technology is not as good as the Warring States crystal cup. Among many unearthed crystal products, there is no crystal product with higher purity. Therefore, the Warring States Crystal Cup has become China's national treasure, and it has been included in the first batch of exhibitions prohibited from going abroad, and has been collected in Zhejiang Museum so far.
The purpose of crystal cup
Many people will wonder, is this priceless crystal cup really used for drinking water? The value of this crystal cup is immeasurable to modern people. First of all, with the continuous exploitation of modern ore, rock crystals are becoming more and more scarce, and it is even more rare to find such a complete crystal original stone; Secondly, even such a precious original stone, few people are willing to polish it into a cup for daily drinking. The crystal cup is fragile, and it can't be recovered if it is accidentally broken. Did the ancients really want to drink water with it?
By constantly consulting ancient books and modern books, experts have found some basis for the use of this crystal cup. Experts found such a record in the ancient jade of Hangzhou edited by Li Hai. In ancient times, there were no machines to make ice cubes, so ice cubes cut in cold areas could only be transported manually and sent to the homes of dignitaries. Therefore, ice was a very precious thing in ancient times. The ancients thought that crystal itself had a certain cooling effect, and its style was extremely beautiful and transparent, just like ice, containing such crystal could quench thirst.
Now it seems that the ancients made such beautiful crystal cups not to drink water, but to relieve the heat. Moreover, the ancients made crystal cups not only for practicality and cooling, but also for a beautiful meaning. In addition to wealth and possessiveness, making a crystal cup also has a spiritual sustenance. The original use of the crystal cup is likely to be used for sacrifice or other very important occasions.
Since ancient times, crystals have been people's favorite items. People's pursuit of crystal has not disappeared with time, but they like it more and more. Now many girls are used to carrying a string of crystals in their hands. Crystal is not only beautiful and transparent in appearance, but also a symbol of status and value, which often contains many blessings, such as making money into treasure. Although we are not sure about the specific use of the Warring States Crystal Cup, we cannot deny the rationality of its existence.