The role of cultural relics in proving history: China's ancient documents are China's cultural treasures. The confirmation of rich and colorful cultural relics and ancient literature records not only increases the authenticity, reliability and preciousness of the literature records, but also increases the physical data and becomes the true witness of the literature records. On the other hand, cultural relics can prove the history recorded in the literature. If documents and cultural relics are closely combined and mutually confirmed, and all aspects of social history are deeply studied, better results will be achieved.
Cultural relics and documents confirm each other, and there are many examples of coincidence. Sima Qian recorded the lineage of Shang Dynasty in Historical Records. A large number of Oracle Bone Inscriptions's records of the Wang family in Shang Dynasty unearthed from Yin Ruins in Anyang, Henan Province are basically consistent with the historical records. In Historical Records, Biographies of Sun Wu and Biographies of Wu Qi, it is recorded that Sun Wu and Sun Bin were officials, each with his own skills handed down from generation to generation, and it is also recorded in Han Shu Yi Wen Zhi. Since then, Sun Tzu's Art of War has not been circulated, and opinions vary. Bamboo slips of Sun Tzu's Art of War and Sun Bin's Art of War were unearthed at the Han Tomb in Yinqueshan, Linyi County, Shandong Province, which proved the correctness of the records in Historical Records and Hanshu and clarified the doubts and misinformation since Sui Dynasty. The burial system of jade (jade clothes) in the post-Han period recorded in the Book of Rites has also been confirmed by the complete jade clothes unearthed in Hebei, Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, Shaanxi, Henan, Guangdong, Beijing and other places, as well as the jade pieces on the jade clothes and the gold, silver and copper rays used.
The official historical role of cultural relics in ancient times, some historical records made mistakes in the process of copying, some were missing in circulation, and some were deleted by the ruling class, making the official historical role of cultural relics extremely precious. Its performance is to correct the fallacies recorded in ancient books, revise historical biographies and correct mistakes.
Ancient epigraphers used epigraphy to correct historical fallacies and made great achievements. But it is limited to stone carvings, and now we can use the information in various cultural relics to revise the literature records. This enables the role of cultural relics to be played in a larger scope.
The records of some historical sites in local chronicles are often based on some legends because of the limitations of the times, the lack of information and the lack of on-the-spot investigation. With the in-depth development of archaeological work, many ancient sites in Cixian County, Hebei Province have been clarified. For example, many ancient sites are called "seventy-two doubts about Cao Cao" in ancient books such as local chronicles. However, the cultural relics (including epitaphs) obtained through cultural relics investigation and archaeological excavation prove that they are not the tombs of Cao Cao's seventy-two suspects, but the tombs of the Northern Dynasties, which are the tombs of the royal family in the Eastern Wei and Northern Qi Dynasties.
In ancient literature, some articles for production and living are often recorded, and these records are often considered as the time when they were produced, which leads to errors. There are records about lacquerware in Han Feizi and Zhou Li, and some people think that thin-plate lacquerware appeared in the mid-Warring States period. In fact, China lacquerware appeared in the Neolithic Age. Lacquerware unearthed from Hemudu Site in Yuyao County, Zhejiang Province has been found in many Shang Dynasty sites and tombs. These unearthed cultural relics have corrected the records of Han Feizi and Zhou Li.
The supplementary function of cultural relics is to provide physical data for the history without words, and to study and restore its historical features; For the written history, we need to make up for the shortcomings of written records in order to provide more colorful information than written records.
China's various ancient books are valuable materials for studying the history of different periods. However, due to the limitation of class and conditions at that time, a large number of historical facts, especially those about labor producers, were not recorded, so that many historical facts were lost, many history books were lost and many historical facts were forgotten. At the same time, human society is an extremely complex whole. The historical facts recorded in the literature, the earlier the literature is recorded, the simpler the historical facts are recorded, or even not recorded, which makes many historical facts that can explain all aspects of society missing.
The rich and colorful cultural relics in various historical periods can completely make up for the lack of literature records. The information stored in cultural relics can provide real and reliable information for studying different problems. Cultural relics with words, such as Oracle Bone Inscriptions, bamboo slips, silk books, ancient manuscripts, ancient prints, stone carvings, etc. , directly recorded different aspects of history, saved a lot of historical materials, so that people can understand the real situation in some aspects. Five kinds of Qin legal documents unearthed from the Qin Tomb in Sleeping Tiger Land, Yunmeng, Hubei Province are far beyond the scope of Li Kui's Classic of Law, and already include criminal law, procedural law, civil law, military law, administrative law and economic law. There are five kinds of medical books unearthed from the No.3 Han Tomb in Mawangdui, Changsha, Hunan Province, which were written earlier than Huangdi Neijing, and there is no trace of the five elements theory in the content, which fills the gap in the early medical history of China.
The historical role of cultural relics as physical historical materials, and the role of cultural relics in proving history, revising history and supplementing history are the first step to carry out scientific research and give full play to the role of cultural relics. After completing the first step, we will also use these credible and informative materials to study history and promote the development of science, culture and art and economic construction.
Historical materials of cultural relics play an extremely important role in the study of thematic history. The research on the history of agriculture, animal husbandry, textiles, ceramics, metallurgy, architecture, transportation, astronomy, sculpture, medicine, etc. can not be separated from the historical materials of cultural relics, especially in primitive society, which has no written records and can only be relied on. With the development of science and technology, the material composition and stored information of cultural relics are more and more clearly understood, which can provide more detailed and accurate information for the research and writing of thematic history. Cultural relics, as tangible objects, are very vivid physical historical materials in the study of some special history such as painting and sculpture. It has more special value than literature.
Cultural relics are also of special value for studying the national forms of China's traditional culture. In the research, it is not easy to give people an image concept only by relying on documents and descriptive words. If you add cultural relics and historical materials, and the illustrations are combined with words, it will be clear at a glance. People can easily understand the national forms of China traditional culture from the forms of ancient architecture, painting and sculpture.
Ancient cultural relics can provide useful reference for the development of science and technology and the construction of material civilization in China. Using modern science and technology to analyze and study the scientific and technological information stored in ancient cultural relics is an important content for reference. The material form of ancient cultural relics can be innovated on the basis of studying its scientificity.
In ancient China, many advanced scientific and technological achievements were lost in the long history. However, the material wealth created by these technologies, some of which were discovered in archaeological work, some of which were collated, studied, analyzed and tested by modern science and technology, obtained scientific and technological information preserved in cultural relics, and became a reference for today's scientific and technological development or provided a scientific basis for economic construction. There are a large number of cultural relics in China, which are the fruits of the development of science and technology at that time, including the scientific information at that time. In-depth study of such cultural relics, especially the analysis and research with modern science and technology, will provide information and data for the development of science and technology today. Ancient astronomical cultural relics and cultural relics in metallurgy, water conservancy, architecture and other fields all contain ancient scientific information to varying degrees. Casting bronzes by lost wax method in the Warring States period and producing ductile iron by indigenous method in the Han Dynasty all belong to this category.
Learning from and promoting the development of art, the development of culture and art can not be separated from learning from. Culture and art in any era and any region are developed on the basis of learning the accumulated knowledge and cultural and artistic achievements of predecessors. Such as painting and calligraphy, it is on the basis of studying predecessors' works (many of which have become cultural relics) and drawing lessons from predecessors' advantages that they create the style of the times and personal artistic style. The development of calligraphy and painting is like this, and so are other cultures and arts.