In fact, it is not without scholars that it has been suggested that Zeng and Sui are actually the same country.

Suiguo appears in historical records, but there are no excavations to prove its existence.

There are many bronzes with inscriptions unearthed in Zengguo, and it can be determined that there was such a country, but there is no record in the history books.

If the two become one, then it seems that all doubts can be easily solved.

But when doing research, it is obvious that you can't just pat your head and decide.

Archaeology is a discipline that follows the dual evidence method, that is, the combination of archaeological sites and documents can make a conclusion.

All conjectures and arguments must be settled only with actual and conclusive evidence.

The conjecture that it was once a country is really lacking strong evidence.

It's even hard to convince people.

After all, according to the bronze inscriptions unearthed in the Eastern and Western Zhou periods, there are also records of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

The word "Sui" cannot be confused with the word "Zeng", these two words are completely different words from the golden text or the bird and insect book or the seal book.

In the history of China, there has never been an example of one country with two names.

The only thing that is that there is no record of "Xia" in the oracle bone inscription, there is only a powerful "Xiyi", and domestic scholars once believed that Xiyi was Xia, which was one country and two names.

But again, this speculation cannot be proven.

Was it a nation, or was there a war between two countries, and one was destroyed by the other?

This is a question that has plagued the historiography for decades.

Suiguo is seen in the historical books, and the story of Suiguo is clearly recorded in "Zuo Biography".

The most famous record about Suiguo is the sentence in the historical records: "Thirty-five years, Chu Vasui." Sui said: I am not guilty, Chu said: I am a barbarian! ”

This sentence in the historical records about the record between Chu and Sui can be said to be famous, and it has been taken out of context by many netizens as a model of shamelessness in the Chu State [Interpretation 1].

It has been passed down for thousands of years.

Zeng Guo, on the other hand, has no written record in the history books.

It is still modern people who have found evidence of the existence of Zeng Guo through archaeology.

From the tomb of the father of the Marquis of Zeng, Zhongzi, discovered in 1966.

Then in 1970-1972, two bronzes were found in Xiongjia Laowan in Suizhou, one of which unearthed 4 pieces of Zeng Bowengui.

Later, Suizhou Caomen Bay collected a piece of Zeng Hou Qunboge.

and then to the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, which caused a sensation all over the world in 1978.

With the discovery of modern archaeology, the existence of Zeng Guo has finally been confirmed and has become an indisputable fact.

The area of Suizhou is the land of the surname Ji Suiguo recorded in the literature, but the bronze ware of Suiguo has never been seen.

Such an obvious contradiction between the excavated data and the documentary record has also puzzled scholars, calling it "the mystery of Zeng Sui".

Scholars have speculated about this.

Among them, the most mainstream view is that the Zeng Kingdom in the bronze is the Sui Kingdom in the handed down documents.

It's just that this conjecture has always lacked enough weighty evidence to prove it!

After the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng came out, there were actually some archaeological discoveries of Zeng Guo.

In 1979, Ji Shiliang in Yidigang, a northern suburb of Suizhou, discovered a tomb, and unearthed bronze vessels such as Ding, 觎 (yú), 簋 (guǐ), chime, and ge.

Among them, there are two Ge, which are engraved with the inscriptions of "Zhou King Sun Ji Xian" and "Zeng Da Attack Yin Ji Xian".

The excavation of these two pieces of Ge proves that Zeng Guo is indeed a country surnamed Ji.

However, according to historical records, there were five out of ten brothers in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and forty people in the country surnamed Ji.

Add up to a total of fifty-five countries with the surname Ji!

There are so many vassal states surnamed Ji in the world, and only forty of them have been recorded in the history books, and more than ten countries have been lost.

Therefore, Zeng Guo is surnamed Ji, which cannot be regarded as conclusive evidence that Zeng Sui is a country.

Perhaps Zeng was a vassal state surnamed Ji that was lost in historical records.

There is still not enough evidence to prove that Zeng Sui is a country.

After that, more and more tombs of the monarchs of Zeng Kingdom were discovered.

In 1981, the No. 2 tomb of Suizhou Drum Pier was found in Xituanpo, which is only 102 meters away from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng.

In 1997, after investigation and exploration, it was found that there were multiple mounds in the drum mound tomb group, and these tombs should be the same as Zeng Hou Yi, which were the first level tombs of Zeng Hou.

Since then, it can be determined that the drum pier tomb group should be relatively complete in layout, Zeng Guojun Mausoleum Park.

However, because there are no traces of theft in this tomb group, and there are no major development projects involved, this Zeng Guojun garden area has not been excavated.

However, based on the results of exploration, it can also be determined that this park should be in the middle of the Warring States period at the latest.

In 1994, three tombs in the late Spring and Autumn Period were excavated at the Dongfeng Oil Depot in the Yidigang Cemetery in Suizhou, and the six bronze containers unearthed all had the inscription of "Zeng Shaozai Huang Zhongyou".

In 2002~2003, 27 tombs and 3 carriage and horse pits were excavated in the cemetery of Guojiamiao in Zaoyang.

Because of the severity of the theft of the cemetery, salvage excavations were carried out.

This is also the first archaeological excavation of the remains of the Zeng Kingdom in the cemetery.

However, it is also because of the serious theft, and there are basically not many valuable cultural relics rescued.

However, there is still "Zeng Bo Sui Yue" among them, and according to the shape of the tomb, it can be seen that many of the tombs here are tombs of marquis specifications.

The density and scale of the distribution of the relics of the Zeng Kingdom in this site are large.

It can be considered that at the time of the second week, the central area of Zeng Guo should be in the area of today's Guojiamiao.

At this point, the context of Zeng Guo gradually became clear through archaeological discoveries.

This should be a vassal state that was founded at least in the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty.

In the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty, the area around the Guojiamiao in Zaoyang was the central area of the Zeng Kingdom.

Until the late Spring and Autumn Period to the early Warring States period, the central area of Zeng moved to Suizhou Drum Pier, and the subsequent monarchs of Zeng were buried in this area, including Zeng Hou Yi.

And in the middle, in Zaoyang Duanying, Caomen Bay, and even Xiaoxiguan in Xinye, Henan, Zeng bronzes were found one after another, which also shows that the scope of Zeng Guo's rule at that time was very large, spanning the two provinces.

A country that lasted at least from the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty to the middle of the Warring States period, and which was large and once strong, gradually became clear in the eyes of archaeologists and historians.

This Zeng State, in terms of geographical scope, is about the same size as the Lu, Wei, Zheng, Chen, Cao, Xu and other countries in the Spring and Autumn Period.

How can it be regarded as a second-class and upper-class country!

However, such a long and once powerful country has not left any record in the history books, which is too unreasonable!

Moreover, the discovery of the Zeng State tomb group in Suizhou, Zaoyang and other places.

In fact, it also confirms what is recorded in the literature, and the situation at that time with the country's strength and prosperity is in line with it!

As a result, there are more and more scholars who support the two names of the former country, and they have completely occupied the mainstream.

However, no matter how mainstream the conjecture, it is just conjecture!

In all the excavated tombs related to Zeng Guo, there is no inscription with the word "Sui".

In Suizhou, Zaoyang and other places, no large-scale tombs in Suiguo have been found.

Judging from the excavation results, this Zeng Guo does not seem to have the slightest connection with Suiguo!

This has left archaeologists and historians alike worried!

It's as if the daughters-in-law have all been married, and the church has already worshipped, and they have all been sent to the cave room.

As a result, I lay on the bed and got the last kick at the door, but I couldn't get in!

That layer of window paper can't be pierced!

Now, the local villagers of Yejiashan in Suizhou Development Zone, Xihe Town, Jiangzhai Village, have dug up a batch of bronzes with a hoe when leveling the fields.

But the researchers of the Hubei Institute of Archaeology were so excited!

Yejiashan is a completely new place for Suizhou archaeology, and no tombs or ruins from before the Qin and Han dynasties have been unearthed.

Now that the bronze artifacts have been discovered, it is certain that there is a site of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period and even earlier!

Whether this is a new site from the Zeng Kingdom, or the "Suiguo" site that has never appeared in archaeological objects.

It is of great significance to solve the "mystery of the past"!

Because the bronze objects were dug up after leveling the field, this shows that the tomb must have been destroyed, so that the bronzes that were originally in the tomb will fall into the shallow soil.

This shows that the newly discovered tombs on this side of Yejiashan need to be rescued and excavated!

...............

These two chapters are the preface to the beginning of the new volume, and it is necessary to sort out what kind of country Zeng Guo is and the controversy with Suiguo.

After that, I will start this journey of archaeological discovery with you.

Fortunately, there are more dry goods in these two chapters, and the perspective will return to the protagonist group from the beginning of the next chapter.

In other words, this new volume, there are a lot of tombs to be excavated~

The protagonist will also officially make his mark in the academic world and take the first step towards becoming an "archaeological boss".

The so-called archaeological boss is not a big guy who excavates many awesome cultural relics, but a big guy.

The real bigwigs, who want to contribute to sorting out the context of Chinese civilization, are to trace the origin of Chinese civilization through archaeology.

It's not that there are more cultural relics than who digs up, who digs up the cultural relics are exquisite, and who digs up the cultural relics that are valuable.

It is more historically valuable than whose cultural relics it is.

Of course, there will also be a lot of very historically valuable and important cultural relics this time, although not as good as the bell of Zeng Hou Yi, but not much worse.