There are indeed many burial goods in the West Ear Chamber.

In addition to bronze ritual vessels, bronze mirrors, bronze weapons, and iron tools, there are also a large number of pottery, jade, stone, and gold tools.

There's even glassware!

Five glass walls, one glass dragonfly eyeball, seven pairs of glass plaques!

"Damn, these are glass beads?!"

When Fu Pu, the director of the Guangzhou Institute of Archaeology, saw these glassware wrapped in silk decay and fragments, he was pleasantly surprised!

Glass.

For most people, it's a foreign product.

But in fact, in the history of China, glass was actually made on a small scale.

It's just that a complete and systematic system has not been established like porcelain, jade and other cultural relics.

The earliest appearance and production time of glass in China has not yet been accurately determined.

"Glass" is not the earliest name for glass seen in ancient documents.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, glassware had already appeared, and people at that time called the translucent one "glass", and the transparent one called "glass".

Later, there were names such as "medicinal jade", "jar jade", "glass" and "feeder", and the most common use was the feeder.

On the contrary, after the Tang Dynasty, "colored glass" became the name of artificial crystal fired at high temperature.

In ancient China, in fact, glassware and glazed ware were two different items.

Glass is usually made into glass beads, also known as "medicinal jade", which is a mixture of lead, barium and silicate.

The glaze is fired at a high temperature with various colors of crystal glazed mother stones.

And with the archaeological discoveries in recent years, some two-week glassware has indeed been found.

On the sword of the famous Yue King Goujian, a glass bead was used.

When this sword was unearthed, it shocked the world!

Subverted the saying that during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, only gold, silver and turquoise were used to inlay weapons!

To put it simply, the glassware of the Western Zhou Dynasty was simple and unpretentious, with dark colors, simple shapes, loose textures, and rough production.

The glassware of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period was mainly made of jade, with good finish and high level of craftsmanship.

The Han Dynasty basically continued the Warring States style.

In the period of the Three Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the exotic style of glassware was aggravated, the utensils were light and thin, and the transparency was better.

During the Tang Dynasty, because of the exchange of the Silk Road in the Western Regions, the Persian style of Tang Dynasty glassware was strong, and the works were bright and colorful.

During the Song and Yuan dynasties, it was small and exquisite.

Of course, these ancient glasses are not the same as modern glass.

Even the most beautiful and skilled of them all, it is about the same as the big green stick that holds beer today.

It would be a dream to make the kind of modern craft glass used in car windows.

There is actually another very famous incident about glassware.

It is also related to the Zeng Guo cemetery excavated by Chen Han before.

That is a very famous Chinese treasure in history, and He's Bi is called the "Suihou Zhu" of the Spring and Autumn Treasures!

"Huainanzi": "With the pearl of Hou, Bian He, those who gain are rich, and those who lose are poor." ”

The old "Cihai" "easy-going" entry notes: "Suihou's pearl, Bian He's bi, are all treasures, so easy-going and called." ”

Legend has it that the origin of Suihou Zhu is because a certain Suihou monarch saved a miraculous snake on the road, and then the snake title Pearl came to repay Suihou.

This legend must not be believed, the legend says that the big snake was beaten into two pieces and then rescued by Suihou.

Moreover, this legend was only completed after the Western Han Dynasty, and it is not a true historical record.

But there should indeed be a Sui Hou Zhu in history.

During the Warring States period, there was a record of Sui Hou Zhu, and there was a plate and an eye.

Suihou Zhu has always been the treasure of Suiguo, and later Suiguo was taken down by Chu State, and after surrendering to Chu, Suihou Zhu was taken away by Chu.

Although there is no record in historical sources, when Suihou Zhu fell into the hands of the king of Chu.

However, it is recorded that in 350 BC, King Xuan of Chu learned that Qin had sent an envoy to watch the treasures of Chu, and summoned Yin Zixi to ask: "Qin wants to see the treasures of Chu, the bi of my clan and the pearl of Suihou, can you show them?" ”

This shows that at that time, He's Bi and Suihou Zhu were in the hands of the Chu State.

Later, these two things came into the hands of Qin Shi Huang.

This is also documented.

In Li Si's "Book of Exhortations", he once persuaded Qin Shi Huang: "Your Majesty presents the jade of Kunshan, which has the treasure of easy-going and harmony, and the pearl of the bright moon...... This number of treasures, Qin is not born, and His Majesty said, why not? ”

The point of this passage is that it doesn't matter what he says, anyway, it can prove that he followed Hou Zhu and He's Bi to Qin Shi Huang.

Yavin

Later, what Heshi Bi did with it, all Chinese people knew.

Heirloom jade seal!

But with Hou Zhu, he disappeared after that.

After 1,600 years, the jade seal also disappeared.

For two thousand years, countless people have wanted to find these two treasures of civilization.

But nothing came of it.

Where the heirloom jade seal was lost is indeed a mystery for the ages.

But with Hou Zhu there, there is still a rough guess in the academic community.

Eighty percent was buried with Qin Shi Huang, and it was placed in a burial room in the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang.

And what is this treasure of civilization that has been praised for nearly 2,500 years?

There is a lot of debate in academia.

One of the arguments is that this Suihou bead may have been a glassware.

Because, in the tomb of Marquis Zeng, 173 glass beads were unearthed!

The surface of these glass beads is covered with circles, commonly known as "dragonfly eye" glass beads.

The "On Balance" written by Wang Chong of the Eastern Han Dynasty also mentioned: "Sui Hou uses medicine as pearls, and the essence is as true as it is." ”

The so-called "medicine" in the Eastern Han Dynasty is actually the lead used by the alchemists when making pills.

Huaxia glass, on the other hand, is made by mixing lead with other substances.

Through the verification of both written records and excavated cultural relics, a conclusion can be drawn.

Suiguo during the Warring States period was already good at firing glass beads!

That Suihou bead may be the best and most beautiful glass bead fired by Suiguo!

Of course, because this conclusion is really a bit disillusioned.

The famous Suihou Zhu is actually just a glass bead, which is obviously not acceptable to the public.

But it doesn't matter if this argument is true or wrong.

During the Warring States period, Suiguo was already very good at firing glassware, which must be true.

And Suiguo later became part of the Chu State.

The Nanyue Kingdom also inherited a lot of immigrants and culture from the Chu State.

At this time, it is very reasonable and surprising that so many glassware can be unearthed in the tomb of the king of Nanyue.

Especially that glass bead.

The style is the same as the glass beads unearthed in the tomb of Marquis Zeng, which are all "dragonfly eye" glass beads!

It is very likely that this is a treasure that has been fired during the Warring States Period, passed through the Sui State, the Chu State, the Qin State, and finally arrived in the hands of the Nanyue State, and has been preserved.

Holding this glass bead in his hand, Fu Pu, who has always been calm, could not hide his excitement.

He shouted impatiently: "Xiao Liu, quickly send this dragonfly eyeball and other glassware to the Chinese Academy of Sciences for energy spectrum analysis!" ”

"Look if these are glass! Is it glass made by the ancient Chinese method! ”

Although these glasswares look like glass, they are similar in style to those that have been excavated before.

But Fu Pu didn't dare to guarantee that it must be glass.

The rigor of the science told him that he had to be tested!

As long as it can be determined, the composition of these artifacts is composed of lead and barium.

Then this batch of glassware from the Western Han Dynasty and even the Warring States Period has become the treasure of Guangzhou, and even the treasure of Guangdong!