解读江南土墩墓

Decoding Tu-Dun Tombs in China

2005年宁常、镇溧高速公路40座土墩233座墓的大抢救,是江南土墩墓发掘历史规模最大的一次。其最主要的学术贡献在于发现多墓土墩与一墩一墓其实并存、首次发现了向心结构的土墩墓和复杂的祭祀行为、根据土墩墓埋藏的特点用“剥洋葱”的发掘理念复原了土墩墓营造的全过程,清理出痕迹清晰的船形棺葬具、石床及木构的人字形窝棚式墓上建筑,还有3800余件出士器物——其中的印纹硬陶和原始瓷器可成为江南土墩墓的分期标尺······

The mysterious Tu-Dun tombs (also known as mound tombs, as they look like mounds of earth) to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China were populous during the period from the end of the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period. Since their excavation in 1970s, there have been a lot of controversies among academic community and many mysteries unsolved. In 2005, a preservation project of 46 Tu-Dun tombs located along the Ningchang and Zhenli highways helped archaeologists understand more about the tombs: the Tu-Dun with multiple tombs and concentric structure coexisting with one mound and one tomb, the complicated sacrificial rites, the construction of tombs, the use of grave goods, and the wood or stone tomb structure. Among more than 3,800 excavated articles, hard earthenware imprinted with decorative patterns and primitive chinaware become main factors deciding the specific historical period for Tu-Dun tombs in China. While at the same time, there are still a large amount of mysteries confusing the excavators. Having revealed the tip of an iceberg, the archeologists also face the problem of how to preserve over 3,000 Tu-Dun tombs in Ningzhen area.