In 1986, in the Qinglong Mountain area of Tongliao, Inner Mongolia, the construction team was carrying out intense construction for a reservoir project. During the process, an excavator dug out a large number of blue bricks from the mud pond. Soon after, the top of a tomb in was excavated.
Report the situation of the construction site. An archaeologist came to conduct an rescue excavation of the tomb. As soon as the tomb was opened, I saw exquisite colorful murals painted on both sides of the tomb passage. According to the costume characteristics of the characters in the mural, the archaeologists inferred that the owner of the tomb was Khitan .
Khitan is a nomadic people in northern China in ancient China. Judging from the unusual specifications of this tomb, the owner of the tomb may be a Khitan noble of considerable status.
A large number of exquisite burial objects unearthed from the tomb tell the luxurious life the tomb owner enjoyed during his lifetime. The excavation continued. Soon, strong evidence proving the identity of the tomb owner - epitaph was found in the tomb. All the speculations were made clear at once.
The owner of this tomb is "Princess Chen". is also the tomb of the princess and her son-in-law. Her son-in-law is called Xiao Shaoju, and she is also her uncle. When they were discovered, the two were closely dependent on each other in the tomb, and it seemed that their relationship was OK.
Princess Chen, whose life ended at abruptly at just 18 years old,
According to epitaphs, Princess Chen's surname is Yelu, and is the granddaughter of Liao Jingzong Yelu Xian and Empress Xiao. Her father was the second son of Liao Jingzong Yelu Longqing , and her mother was the concubine Xiao of Yelu Longqing, and Liao Shengzong Yelu Longxu is the princess' uncle.
Restore picture of Princess Chen
It is also recorded in the epitaph that This princess died of illness at the age of 18. Although she is not old, she has been granted several titles. "Princess Chen" is the title she was posthumously sealed after her death.
: In terms of origin, Princess Chen can be regarded as a noble status. She has been enfeoffed several times and can be seen that she is deeply favored. Why did such a princess marry her uncle? What is her "uncle and son-in-law" identity?
The princess's son-in-law is named Xiao Shaoju. Xiao Shaoju cannot find special records in " Liao History " and other historical materials. It seems that no major event has ever happened in his life.
Princess Chen and Xiao Shaoju restored the picture
But as the princess' husband, he was eventually buried with the princess. In the epitaph of Princess Chen, there are some records of Xiao Shaoju, including his family background and some other information.
According to the records in the epitaph, Xiao Shaoju was the queen of Liao Shengzong, and is the elder brother of Empress Rende Xiao Bodhisattva Ge .
If we start from the perspective of Queen Rende, the princess is the princess’ aunt’s brother, but the relationship between the princess and the princess is not that simple.
Empress Rende is also the niece of Empress Xiao. Empress Xiao is the princess's grandmother, and Xiao Shaoju is the princess's grandmother's nephew. If we start from Empress Xiao, Xiao Shaoju is the princess's grandmother's nephew. If we start from Empress Xiao, Xiao Shaoju is a generation older than the princess, and has the right relationship with the princess is an uncle and nephew.
clarifies the relationship between the two. Princess Chen married Xiao Shaoju, and her niece married her uncle. From the perspective of today's people, it seems sensational. . Wouldn't people at that time think so?
There are experts in Liao history research that there was no such thing as "close relative marriage" in the Liao Dynasty. On the contrary, among the aristocratic families of the Khitan, , in order to ensure the purity of family blood, , Yelu , could only intermarry with the surname Xiao.
For example, Liao Jingzong and Empress Xiao, Liao Shengzong and Empress Rende, they are all "relatives" who have been related to each other. The marriage relationship of the royal family in the Liao Dynasty is basically the intermarriage of "kind and relatives".
Judging from Xiao Shaoju's background, in addition to being older than the princess, he is considered a "matchful match" with the princess, and it is reasonable for the princess to marry her "uncle".
Princess Chen is not simply "burying with his uncle", is buried with his husband, is just her husband, is just her uncle in terms of generation.
Why are you buried with your uncle in a golden mask?
According to epitaphs, the princess was 16 years old and married her uncle Xiao Shaoju, who was more than ten years older than her. We cannot know what she felt at that time. We only know that two years after her marriage, the princess, who was only 36 years old, passed away first.
Princess Chen herself did not live long. She also died of an acute illness in 2018, and the cause of the disease is unknown.
Judging from the epitaph, the death of the princess and the prince consort has nothing to do with the court struggle, both of them died of illness. But why did the princess suddenly die of illness at a young age? What disease did she suffer from? is still an unsolved mystery.
Some people speculate that the princess and the prince consort both died early. The reason may be that their ancestors have been married for generations, and Moreover, the marriage between the princess and Xiao Shaoju is also a combination between close relatives.
But what is the truth of the matter? It is unknown now.
During the excavation of Princess Chen’s tomb, an archaeologist paid great attention. The back room of the tomb was excavated to the center. found that the corpses of the princess and the prince consort were placed side by side on the corpse bed, covered with a golden mask.
The princess on the corpse bed is wrapped in the Internet made of silver wire. The side is covered with a golden mask , and a golden crown on her head. The prince consor who is lying next to her is the same regulations.
After thousands of years, the bodies of the princess and the prince consort have long turned into gray marks. However, the silver wire network covering their bodies is well preserved, the golden mask is still shining, and leaves people with infinite imagination.
can’t help but make people wonder, why do you need to be buried with a gold mask?
The reason must start with the beliefs of the Khitan people. The Khitans believe that they will be resurrected from the dead, and that the tribe will not be buried immediately after death. generally requires the deceased to be placed in the tomb for half a year or more before they can be sent to the tomb for burial.
In this way, the preservation of corpse is particularly important. After all, the decay of corpse is an inevitable natural phenomenon, not to mention that in ancient times, technology and conditions are not so intact.
metal masks and networks are a kind of funeral instruments used by the Khitans to store corpses. is made of gold or silver wire to make a network, wrapped around the dead body, so as to ensure that the body is intact. Even if it moves, it will not deform easily and the knuckles will not fall apart.
As for the rotten face, use a metal hammer to buckle the mask on the face to maintain the beauty of the body's face. will not affect the owner's image before his lifetime.
Just like the princess Chen State and the prince consort. Although the body has long been rotten, thousands of years later, future generations can still imagine what the princess in her prime looked like from the details of the mask.
Khitans like utensils made of gold and silver, Many daily utensils of Khitan nobles are made of gold and silver, which can be proved by many cultural relics of the Liao Dynasty excavated by archaeology.
Princess Chen has a noble status and died young. From her epitaph, it can also be seen that the regret and pity of the Liao Dynasty royal family for her early death. It is reasonable to use gold to make masks for her and her husband.
It’s a pity that the well-preserved Liao Dynasty tombs are not many. is not many. The golden masks of Princess Chen and the Prince Consort are discovered for the first time. cannot be compared with the tombs of the same era. We cannot know whether this situation is a common phenomenon in the tombs of the nobles of the Liao Dynasty.
summary
cultural relics can't speak, but they can tell many historical facts of future generations with their own existence itself. carries many unknown stories. Although Princess Chen died early, her epitaph and funeral objects were preserved intact. Only after a thousand years can we learn about her story again, which aroused the infinite imagination of future generations.
