Re: Interesting archeological discovery - Emperor Qin's tomb

From: Doug Weller (dweller_at_ramtops.removethisdemon.co.uk)
Date: 01/21/05 

Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2005 06:02:50 +0000

On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 19:58:34 -0600, in sci.archaeology, Tom McDonald
wrote:

>I.E_Johansson wrote:
>> "Doug Weller" <dweller@ramtops.removethisdemon.co.uk> skrev i meddelandet
>> news:pcd0v0h9dotuijaobaij8hj08mdsaq0g80@4ax.com...
>>
>>>On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 17:45:32 GMT, in sci.archaeology, I.E_Johansson wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>"Bobby D. Bryant" <bdbryant@mail.utexas.edu> skrev i meddelandet
>>>>news:csopmn$oah$5@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu...
>>>>
>>>>>On Thu, 20 Jan 2005, "University Studies" <gov-statistics@no.spam>
>>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>>>>"David B" <tronospamchos@tesco.net> wrote in message
>>>>>>news:3LOHd.100$l8.99@newsfe2-gui.ntli.net...
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Amazingly, next year will be the 30th anniversary of the unearthing
>>
>> of
>>
>>>>the
>>>>
>>>>>>>first terracotta soldiers. How time flies.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>True David, many thousands of terra cotta warriors surrounding the
>>>>>>underground palace have been unearthed, but as of 2005 they still
>>
>> have
>>
>>>>not
>>>>
>>>>>>entered the main underground palace. This may turn out to be one of
>>
>> the
>>
>>>>most
>>>>
>>>>>>monumental excavations of the century. I wish they would hurry up.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Quote from the link below;
>>>>>>
>>>
>>>http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/terra_cotta_army/ma
>>
>> u
>>
>>>>soleum_6.htm
>>>>
>>>>>> "The underground palace boasts a microcosm of
>>>>>> the heavens and the earth. The historical records
>>>>>> of the first century BC state " Work on his tomb
>>>>>> began as soon as Emperor Qin gained power.
>>>>>> The tomb contains palaces and pavilions filled
>>>>>> with rare gems and other treasures, and is
>>>>>> equipped with crossbows to shoot automatically
>>>>>> any intruders!"
>>>>>
>>>>>Hey, now we have a story for the next Indiana Jones movie!
>>>>
>>>>No that Chinese information is 100% correct. I thought that many turists
>>>
>>>>from US as well as from the 'Old World' had been there so this was
>>
>> wellknown
>>
>>>>information.
>>>
>>>Ok, I'll bite. How can anyone know what is actually in an unexplored tomb?
>>
>>
>> When did you your homework on the site in question last? If you had you
>> would have known that while no one had believed the army to exist before it
>> was found the details for that as well as the latest years findings have
>> been known from a written documentation of the time. It's never been
>> believed mostly because it contains details as that the world is copied and
>> the seas, lakes and river in miniature-sizes have circulating 'water' in
>> form of mercury/quicksilver. It's said to hold the largest fortune in
>> juwelery ever seen and so on. The details for the 'defending'-system are
>> presented as are all the artifacts found up to this day. The later is the
>> reason why scholars and archaeologists at least expect the
>> 'defending-system' or attack on anyone trying to enter the tomb might be
>> according to written source.
>>
>
>Johansson,
>
> So no one knows what is in the tomb, including you; but there
>are documents that are said to describe it? In other words, no
>one knows what is in the tomb, but there is speculation. Is that
>right? The documentation you mention isn't from the Qin, but
>from the Han. The Han had recently vanquished the Qin when the
>tomb was written about. It may or may not be the case that the
>scribe had access to someone who knew the details of the tomb;
>but in any case, the document is not a primary source about the
>contents of the tomb; and I don't know whether the scribe was
>influenced by political considerations or not. Do you?
>
Hey, that's what I was going to say! Inger insists that something is true
not on the basis of physical evidence but of written evidence (which even
if contemporary may not have been true).

I worry about these Swedish methods courses Inger keeps talking about,
they can lead one to believe that all sorts of fantastical ideas are
truth.

> I am intrigued by the observation that levels of mercury in the
>soil around the tomb are elevated; that suggests the
>*possibility* part of the legend might be based on fact.
>However, no one knows exactly what is in the tomb; and no one
>will know until the tomb is opened, or until new remote sensing
>technology is invented and applied to the site.

2 good reasons to wait to excavate -- and the development of more
sophisticated remote technology is a major one. Don't do damage until we
can get the maximum information from it.
>
> That said, even if there are cocked and locked crossbows set
>up, they most certainly won't be functional anymore.

Doug 

-- 
Doug Weller -- exorcise the demon to reply
Doug & Helen's Dogs http://www.dougandhelen.com
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