What country is it?, Why China | Archaeological Excavations of the Development History of Zeng State | Cemetery | Zeng State

The Jingchu culture is an important component of the long-standing Chinese civilization,

It holds a pivotal position in the development history of Chinese civilization.

Hubei is the birthplace of Jingchu culture

It has a long history and profound cultural heritage.

After the discovery of the tomb of Zeng Houyi in Suizhou, Hubei in 1978, the world was shocked.

In the following forty years, the earth did not cherish treasures, and Huazhang reappeared,

Zeng Guo's archaeology has continuously made new progress.

But more questions also surround the hearts of the world?

What kind of country is Zeng Guo?

Since the Song Dynasty, there have been "Zeng Hou Zhong" and "Zeng Ji Wu Xu Hu", among others

Many bronze artifacts with the inscription "Zeng" have been discovered one after another,

They indicate the existence of a "Zeng State" with close ties to the Chu State during the Zhou Dynasty.

However, these bronze artifacts were not discovered through scientific archaeology,

Lack of systematic archaeological information,

Unable to deepen our understanding of Zeng Guo.

After two excavations in 2011 and 2013,

Archaeologists have discovered 140 Zeng Guo tombs at the Yejiashan Zeng Guo Cemetery in Suizhou,

Three former Marquises were buried here.

A large number of unearthed cultural relics such as bronze, lacquer, jade, etc,

Revealing that Zeng Guo was a vassal of the Southern Duke,

Guarding the important north-south corridor along the Jujube Corridor,

It was an important vassal state granted by the Zhou royal family to the Jianghan region.

At the Yejiashan Cemetery,

The larger tombs 65, 28, and 111 are the core of the entire cemetery,

Numerous bronze artifacts with inscriptions of "Zeng Hou" have been unearthed.

The three tomb owners were all early rulers of the state of Zeng during the Western Zhou Dynasty.

This "three legged tripod" copper tripod was popular from the late Shang Dynasty to the early Western Zhou Dynasty

Beast faced split crotch cauldron,

In late Shang tombs, they often appear in pairs,

This tradition continued in the early Western Zhou Dynasty.

And a pair of Zeng Hou Jian's split crotch cauldrons were unearthed from Tomb 2 and Tomb 28 of Yejiashan, respectively,

Its size, shape, and inscription are the same,

Should be cast in the same batch and placed in different tombs.

The inner wall of the vessel is inscribed with the words "Zeng Hou Jian Zuo Bao Yi".

In the Yejiashan Cemetery, more "Ceng Hou Jian" were found inside the vessels,

The Zeng Hou Jian He unearthed from Tomb 28 of Yejiashan is adorned with exquisite triple full flower patterns on its surface,

Rabbit shaped button, cow horn shaped animal face pattern.

Climbing up the stream with a dragon, the dragon mouth becomes the mouth of the stream.

The style is elaborate and magnificent, with clear levels of relief and round sculptures,

It is a rare masterpiece among the bronze artifacts of the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

Who is the owner of these artifacts, "Ceng Hou Jian"?

The dragon patterned Yue, also unearthed from Tomb 28,

Yue Yuan is adorned with animal face patterns in the middle and circular dragon patterns on both sides.

There is no doubt about the high-ranking aristocratic identity of "Zeng Hou Jian".

Archaeologists have discovered a copper Gui named "Lie Kao Nan Gong" in Tomb 111,

This indicates that this Gui was made by Zeng Houzai for his father, Nan Gong.

Nangong was a highly politically and militarily talented Nangong Shi in the early Western Zhou Dynasty,

And Zeng Guo was the fiefdom of Nangong Shi.

The Zaoyang Line in Suizhou, Hubei Province is located between Tongbai Mountain and Dahong Mountain, east of the Han River,

Beitong Nanyang Basin, Nanlian Jianghan Plain,

It is known as the "Jujube Corridor".

The Zhou Dynasty enfeoffed Zeng State here,

As a strategic pivot for controlling copper resources in the southern region and managing the Jianghan region.

The departure of Zeng Guo from the area where Yejia Mountain was located after three generations of Zeng Marquis may be related to the failure of King Zhao's southern expedition.

With the continuous progress of archaeology

Zaoyang Guojia Temple and Jingshan Sujialong in Hubei Province

The remains of Zeng State from the late Western Zhou Dynasty to the early Spring and Autumn period have been discovered.

Proof of the distribution of archaeological remains in Zeng country,

From the late Western Zhou Dynasty to the early Spring and Autumn Period, Zeng had a vast territory.

The unearthed cultural relics from the Guojia Temple Cemetery and surrounding city sites in Zaoyang reflect

Zeng Guo has a strong national strength and developed culture,

Its cultural landscape is basically consistent with that of the Central Plains.

The Zeng Kingdom during this period coincides with the record in the Zuo Zhuan that "the country of Han Dong became larger.".

The gold and silver alloy tiger shaped ornaments unearthed from the Guojiamiao Cemetery in Zaoyang in 2015,

The tiger's body, feet, and tail are all adorned with "S" - shaped stripes.

There are 9 pairs of perforations on the tiger's body,

Indicating as a decorative item.

Materials similar to gold and silver alloys are commonly found in ancient West Asia.

It can be seen that in the early Spring and Autumn period, the country had advanced metallurgical processes.

The unearthed cultural relics show that,

After the mid to late Spring and Autumn period, with the expansion of the Chu state,

The territory of Zeng State was concentrated in the current urban area of Suizhou.

The bronze artifacts of Zeng State unearthed from the Chu tomb and the "King of Chu Xiong Zhangbo" from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng

All prove that Zeng Guo had become an ally of Chu State at this time.

Since 2009

Archaeologists have conducted large-scale archaeological work on the Yidigang Tomb Group in Suizhou,

Discovered Wenfeng Pagoda, Jujube Tree Forest Cemetery, etc,

Provided new clues for the restoration of the history of Zeng Guo,

Proved that Zeng Guo was also a vassal state,

Revealed the historical transformation process of Zeng State from "left and right civil and military" to "left and right Chu King".

This gold cloud patterned Jian Fou is composed of two objects, Jian and Fou,

It has a dual function of ice wine and warm wine.

The body of the vessel is adorned with intricate golden triangle hooks and cloud patterns, and is inlaid with turquoise,

The decoration style of this item is elaborate and tightly fastened,

This reflects the highly developed level of bronze casting and decorative craftsmanship during the Warring States period.

And its owner is Zeng Houbing, the tomb owner of Tomb 18 of Wenfeng Pagoda,

The next generation of Zeng Houyi,

It is also the last generation of monarchs discovered by archaeology in Zeng State.

In 2019, a group appeared at an auction in Japan

The bronze ritual vessel of "Zeng Baofu" illegally exported from China.

The Chinese government immediately launched an action to recover lost cultural relics.

Under the joint efforts of diplomatic efforts and criminal investigation,

Zeng Burke's father's bronze artifacts have finally returned to the embrace of his motherland.

Zeng Boke's father's bronze artifacts,

In recent years, China has successfully stopped illegal transactions in the international cultural relics market

The most valuable batch of returned cultural relics for implementing cross-border tracing.

In October 2021, the "Top 100 Archaeological Discoveries of the Century" were unveiled

The tomb group of Marquis Zeng in Suizhou, Hubei Province is among them

In the view of Fang Qin, the director of Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology,

The history of Zeng Guo is almost entirely revealed by archaeological work over the past forty years.

Currently, 15 Marquis Zeng have been discovered through archaeological excavations

This is unparalleled in the archaeology of the Zhou Dynasty,

This system has greatly improved the process of Zeng Guo's history,

Filling the gap in the missing record of "Zeng" in the history of two weeks.

From the perspective of the vassal state of Zeng,

Not only can we see the history of the Zhou Dynasty,

Also seeing the history of Chinese civilization,

This is also the significance of Zeng Guo's archaeology.

Poster: Yin Zhelun

Guidance unit: Network Communication Bureau of the Central Cyberspace Administration

Production unit: New Media Center of Xinhua News Agency

Supported by: China Internet Development Foundation

Assistance: Hubei Provincial Museum