2. Sima Qian wrote about the customs of Zhongshan and noticed the universality of "digging graves". Although it was a kind of rape to dig a grave and rob a tomb, at that time, some people made a fortune because of it. In the Western Han Dynasty, lawless aristocrats committed many evils, and robbing tombs was actually a hobby game of arrogant and fierce people, so there was a situation of "all domestic burials were dug up" and "countless tombs were built". Some serious social unrest in the Han Dynasty, such as the rebellion of Wu Chu in the Seven Kingdoms, the riot that overthrew the Xin Mang Dynasty, and so on, all recorded large-scale grave robbery. During the Han and Wei Dynasties, there was a grave robbery climax. It is said that Cao Cao's military clique even set up official posts called "Faqiu corps commander" and "Captain Mo Jin" to direct grave robbery.
3. The so-called Tang poems, such as "thieves swarming with mosquitoes and flies", "the sound of hoeing in a deserted grave", "the skull is half out of the ground" and "the bones crisscross", also reflect the popularity of grave robbery. In Tang Daizong, Guo Ziyi's father's tomb was stolen. Some people suspect that it was directed by Yu Chaoen. And Guo Ziyi when it comes to this matter in the headquarters, admitted that he was at the head of the army also has many acts of destruction of the mausoleum. According to historical records, from the end of the Tang Dynasty to the beginning of the Five Dynasties, except Tang Gaozong and Wu Zetian, the tombs of the Tang Emperor in Guanzhong were stolen one by one, and no one was spared.
The history of robbing and destroying tombs in Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties is unique. As a kind of government behavior, the most typical event is the massive destruction of two Beijing tombs by the pseudo-Qi regime supported by the Central Plains Jin Dynasty. Liu Yu once set up officials in charge of tomb excavation, namely "Taosha official in Henan" and "Taosha official in Bianjing". Monks trusted by Mongolian aristocrats in Yuan Dynasty robbed tombs in Southern Song Dynasty. During the Wanli period of Ming Dynasty, Chen Feng, the eunuch, handled the case that Li's wife Yang's tomb was robbed by the people, and was lured by the information of "seizing a lot of gold", and even "learned about the tombs in China". Wuchang citizens opposed his evil deeds and once set off a fierce wave of protests, almost forming riots.
4. The prevalence of grave robbery has left a deep historical memory in all dynasties, so there is a saying that "there are no immortal people and no immortal tombs since ancient times and today".
5. The pursuit of the grave owner's funerary belongings is the most common motive of ancient grave robbery. Huangfu Mi, a native of Jin Dynasty, advocated thin burial, saying that "rich and thick burial can stimulate treachery". Grave robbers' ruthless destruction of tombs and extreme humiliation of the dead are generally due to their "desire" for treasures. Although the so-called "treacherous heart" of grave robbery began with reburial, it can be roughly explained that the main reason for "not seeing the tomb since ancient times" is the desire for wealth.
6. Some special needs for funerary objects are also something that we can't help but pay attention to when analyzing the motives of grave robbery in past dynasties. In the Song Dynasty, there were historical cases of robbing a tomb to take rhinoceros belt and jade belt. Some people even dig up their fathers' graves. Zhang Bangji's "Mo Zhuang Man Lu" said that Song Huizong loved ancient bronzes, so local officials began to dig graves for their goods. Tao Hongjing's tomb was stolen, it is said, in order to rob the Rare Book of Dansha. Grave robbers divide "zombie human flesh" into medicine and steal bones to "combine bait", which is a story in the history of grave robbery. It is also a historical phenomenon worthy of attention to excavate the tombs of predecessors and take their building materials for their own use. In the archaeological excavation data of Nanyang, Henan Province, it can be seen that the Jin people excavated the Han tombs and used the Han stone reliefs as the building materials of the tombs. In Xuzhou, Jiangsu, it was also found that someone used the Han tomb to rebury the late Tang Dynasty. This phenomenon is also reflected in the literature. 7. In the ancient power struggle in China, digging the graves of political opponents and their families was once regarded as an extreme means of mutual hatred. Digging graves is another form of political punishment and persecution. Grave robbing, coffin cutting and corpse whipping are all used to vent political hatred. In Zuo Zhuan, there have also been historical cases of digging graves for revenge. Sima Qian's story of Wu Zixu's "Digging King Chu Ping's Tomb, Revealing His Body and flogging 300" has a wide influence among the people. During the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, a famous Lv Liuliang massacre happened.
8. The invention and inheritance of tomb-robbing technology are reflected in Historical Records. And the corresponding anti-tomb-robbing technology has gradually matured. For example, confusing grave robbers with suspected tombs or virtual tombs, strengthening protection with stone walls and iron walls and storing sand, and killing grave robbers with machine crossbows, dark fires and poisonous smoke all have their own anti-theft effects.
9. The protection of tombs by traditional ritual system shows that China culture attaches importance to patriarchal clan system. There are many laws prohibiting grave robbery in past dynasties. Public opinion also severely condemned grave robbery. In ancient times, such folklore was very popular. When you rob a tomb, you will encounter thunder and rain, wind and fog, the sound of drums and horns or the warning of a god beast. If you ignore this warning, you will often be severely retaliated.
10. On the other hand, from ancient times to the present, there are many legends about the relationship between tomb robbery and rebirth miracle, and even there are many such records in official history. We also see that the disgraceful act of robbing a tomb sometimes leads to the unique treasures of the original royal aristocrats scattered among the people, and makes many peerless treasures buried next to the bones regain the light of ancient civilization. This kind of grave robbery has the significance of craft history and art history completely unrelated to the original motive. Antiques mostly come from tomb raiding, which promotes the progress of epigraphy research and has positive academic and cultural influence. Bamboo slips have enriched the treasure house of our national culture many times, and sometimes it is found that the way is due to grave robbery. For example, the excavation of Ji Zhong's suicide note is a blessing in the cultural history of China. Of course, many valuable cultural relics are often destroyed directly at the scene of grave robbery or on the way to resale because of poor cultural taste, poor identification ability and rude behavior. This behavior has seriously damaged the ancient material and cultural heritage of China, which is undoubtedly unforgivable.
1 1. The interference and destruction of tomb raiding on archaeological work is not only manifested in the fact that many tombs are broken and lost during the excavation, but also in the fact that ignorant tomb raiders often choose only according to the market value scale, and some cultural relics with extremely important scientific and cultural values are destroyed, although they may not be valued by antique dealers. In addition, the significance of tombs to archaeological work is not only manifested in the quantity and quality of funerary objects, but also in the ruins that seem to have no direct commercial value. In fact, they all contain very important historical and cultural information, and these phenomena are often irretrievably destroyed by barbaric excavation. Grave robbing has seriously damaged archaeological work, and it is still obvious today. Some very important cultural relics were unearthed due to illegal excavation, but the location of their discovery and other related relics are still unclear, so their archaeological value cannot be realized, thus making it impossible for materials that might have been of great significance to understanding ancient social history through scientific archaeological work to play a role. All these make people who care about and love China's history and culture deeply grieved.