Civilization in Xiangquan River Basin

Great progress has been made in the archaeological investigation of Xiangquan River basin in Ali, Tibet, and the mystery of ancient elephant male civilization is expected to be uncovered as soon as possible.

With the support of the special fund for frontier archaeology in National Cultural Heritage Administration, the "Xiangquan River Basin Archaeological Investigation Team" composed of China Institute of Tibetan Studies of Sichuan University, Archaeology Department of Sichuan University and Xizang Autonomous Region Cultural Relics Bureau went to Xiangquan River Basin to investigate the coastal cultural relics in China from June to August, and made great progress on the basis of previous work.

Xiangquan River Basin is the most important birthplace of ancient civilization in western Tibet. The famous Xiangxiong Kingdom (called "Toarey Yang" and "Nvguo" in China's history books) and Guge Kingdom both created brilliant cultures around this basin. Because this basin is close to South Asia and Central Asia, it has also become a crossroads of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, and has always been highly valued by academic circles at home and abroad.

In the rich and splendid Tibetan cultural heritage, a splendid ancient elephant-male civilization has developed with the spread of "Forever-in-the-Middle Religion" as the main line. Because this religious civilization has been produced for a long time and spread widely, it has had a far-reaching and important impact on the formation and development of Tibetan culture. However, for various reasons, many people in the world simply don't know about the "ancient elephant male civilization", and even many Tibetans don't understand it themselves. They only think that Indian culture has a great influence on the formation of Tibetan culture, that "all cultures from India" are of great value, and mistakenly think that Tibet's native religions and things other than Indian civilization have little contribution and value to the formation of Tibetan culture.

Even many Tibetans themselves mistakenly believe that before Indian Buddhism was introduced into Tibet, Tibet did not have its own language and writing, and its culture was very ignorant and backward. This absurd statement has been publicized by some Orthodox fanatics for centuries. It is precisely because of the long-term continuation of this situation that the true history and local culture of Tibet have been lost, and scholars' interest in the study of ancient elephant civilization and this religion has also been restricted, but this situation has changed.

According to the exploration of archaeologists, the origin of Tibetan compatriots on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is very long and ancient, with a history of 13000 to 17000 years.

Then everyone will think in unison about such a question: "Where is the origin of ancient Tibetan compatriot culture?"

The answer is: it is an ancient religion in Tibet!

Many customs and lifestyles of our modern Tibetan compatriots have also been handed down from the ancient Xiangxiong era. For example, weddings and funerals of Tibetan compatriots, astronomical calendars, medical literature, song and dance paintings, choosing houses for tourism, choosing auspicious days, driving away disasters and evil spirits, divination and so on. It still follows the tradition of this religion to a certain extent. There are many unique ways for Tibetan compatriots to pray for blessings, such as turning to the Mountain of God, worshiping the Lake of God, hanging a wind horse flag, hanging colorful prayer flags, carving stone inscriptions, placing Mani heaps (the tradition of this religion is that the stone heaps are engraved with bright eight-character mantra: "Ommazhi Moussa Linde"), divination, offering sacrifices to Sodom, carving butter and even using prayer wheels. All these are the legacy of this religion. Luan Zhangjian, deputy director of the Research Office of the International Liaison Department, once wrote an article to evaluate Xiangxiong civilization and the historical significance of this religion:

"It is no exaggeration to say that to understand Tibetan civilization, we must first understand Xiangxiong civilization; To study Tibetan Buddhism, we should also study this religion first. Otherwise, the deeper you explore, the farther away you may be from the truth. "

In the 7th century AD, Songtsan Gampo merged and unified all the tribes in Tibet, established a powerful Tubo dynasty, and began to write the official history of Tibet. In recent years, archaeological discoveries have proved that:

The ancient elephant male civilization is the real source of Tibetan civilization.

According to Chinese and Tibetan classics, Xiangxiong ancient country (actually a tribal alliance) was called Tong Qiang and Toarey Yang in history; Reached its peak before the 7th century. According to the historical research of Tibetan population, the population of Xiangxiong should be no less than100000 according to the proportion of the army. Later, Tubo gradually rose on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and in the 8th century, it completely conquered the ancient country of Xiangxiong. Since then, Xiangxiong culture has gradually disappeared.

The documents of ancient religions in Tibet are called "Xiangxiong Code" by experts. The Ming Jian of the Tubo King's genealogy records: "From Nie Chizamp to Zeng Jietuozan, the twenty-sixth generation was protected by this teaching." At that time, the classics of this teaching were mainly written in ancient Xiang Xiong characters. According to the records in ancient books such as "A Tale of the King of Tibet" and "Duodui", Buddha Shenrab Mivo, the elephant king, reformed the original religion many times and founded the Yongzhong Buddhism, which is called the oldest ancient elephant Buddhism in Tibet. Fortunately, Buddha Rao Miwo first created the word "Xiang Xiong" and taught the "five disciplines": technology (technology), acoustics (linguistics), medicine, alienation (astronomy) and Naiming (Buddhism). The ancient Xiangxiong civilization was developed with the spread of "eternal religion" as the main line. Speaking of Xiangxiong, a mysterious ancient country, perhaps many people don't understand it, or even feel strange. Sandstorms along the ancient Silk Road have passed through for thousands of years, and this period of history before the 7th century A.D. has been dusty on the snowy plateau. However, as the same foundation of Tibetan culture and Naxi culture in Yunnan, the ancient Xiangxiong civilization, which combines the essence of the three civilizations of the Central Plains, West Asia and South Asia, still shines brilliantly today. As an early culture before Indian Buddhism was introduced into Tibet, the traces of ancient elephant-male culture run through all aspects of Tibet. "From production to life, from folk customs to beliefs, there is a shadow of Xiang Xiong culture everywhere. For example, religious activities such as offering sacrifices to mountain gods and climbing mountains all originated from Xiangxiong culture.

For the ancient Xiangxiong culture, to make it "alive", we can't bypass an encyclopedia that reflects Xiangxiong civilization in a panoramic way-Xiangxiong Tripitaka. However, for a long time, due to the lack of Chinese version, the domestic research on Xiang Xiong culture has basically stagnated. In contrast, foreign research and attention on Xiangxiong culture has been ahead, urging us to dig and sort out this treasure.

20 13 In July, with the support of China Social and Cultural Development Research Center of China Academy of Social Sciences, a Chinese translation project of The Elephant Tripitaka was started, which was scheduled to be completed in 10. According to reports, the contents of the Elephant Tripitaka are huge. After thousands of years of changes, some of them have been lost, with a total of 178 volumes, including 74 laws, 70 classics, 26 sequels and 8 libraries. Bai Gengsheng, secretary of the Secretariat of the Chinese Writers Association, believes that the Chinese translation project of The Elephant Tripitaka will not only reveal the ancient elephant-male civilization in the snowy plateau, but also reveal the history of the mutual influence and integration of civilizations and cultures in ancient China, ancient India, ancient Persia and even ancient Greece. Since the 1920s and 1930s, foreign scholars, represented by Italian Tibetan scientist G. Du Zi, began to conduct archaeological investigations in this area, but after the early 1950s, the archaeological work in this area was basically at a standstill. It was not until the late 1970s and early 1980s that Chinese scholars re-entered this area to carry out archaeological work, and successively made a series of remarkable archaeological achievements, such as Guge Ancient City Archaeology, Tuolin Temple Archaeology and Piyang Donggadong Temple Archaeology.

The investigation started in Menmen Township, Gaer County, the birthplace of Xiangquan River, and went to Xiangba Township, Zada County in the west, mainly in the upper reaches of Xiangquan River from east to west. The new investigation found stone tools, stone cultural relics, ancient cemeteries, rock paintings and other pre-Buddhist relics 17 pieces, as well as cave murals and temple sites, and reviewed the previously discovered cultural relics 1 1 pieces, and achieved some achievements, especially the discovery of various archaeological remains in the pre-Buddhist period in this area, in order to uncover the mystery of ancient elephant civilization with unknown literature records.

The so-called "pre-Buddhist period" mainly refers to the long historical period before the establishment of the Guge Kingdom based on Buddhism, about 10 century ago. Among the pre-Buddhist archaeological remains discovered in this investigation, the most important one is the "dome silver city" site group located in Menshi Township, Gaer County. According to legend, it is the capital of Xiangxiong Kingdom in history. The site is located on the north bank of Xiangquan River in the eastern margin of Zhada Basin. Three small rivers named Quna River, Quga River and Qinlang River meet on the south side of the site, so the small place name is also "Qusongduo". After careful investigation and mapping by the survey team, it was initially found that the site was located at the top of a slightly northeast-southwest strip. According to the topography and site distribution, it can be divided into four communities, A, B, C and D, with a total site area of about 1.3 million square meters.

Area A is located in the lowest part of the mountain top. It is about 300 meters long from east to west and 200 meters wide from north to south, covering an area of about 60,000 square meters. The ground is relatively flat and the architectural relics are the most concentrated. There are more than 90 numbered ground buildings, all of which are made of conglomerate blocks or gravels. According to observation, the buildings in Area A can be roughly divided into defensive buildings (city walls, forts, etc.). ), family residential buildings, public buildings, religious sacrificial buildings, and living ancillary facilities. The defensive buildings are all distributed in the east, west and south edges of the top of the mountain in Area A, which is highly dangerous and consists of multiple defensive walls, square fortresses and back channels connected with them. Family residential buildings are mainly distributed at the east and west ends of Area A, usually square and round multi-room or single-room buildings, and some of them are equipped with round or nearly round facilities. The sites that may have the nature of public buildings are distributed in the middle of Area A, with a large bay, and some of them are built into multi-level steps with conglomerate blocks according to the terrain. There are mainly two kinds of ancillary facilities living in Area A, one is the animal pen attached to the family-style house, and the other is the circular puddle distributed in the residential group, which may be used as a water storage pit for residents and livestock. Area A has relatively flat terrain, the highest building density, diverse architectural forms and uses, relatively high preserved walls, and more relics collected on the ground, so it is presumed to be the main living area of the site.

Area B is located in the northwest edge of the central part of the site, with a length of about 350 from east to west, a width of 1.5-50m from north to south, and an area of nearly1.5 million square meters. Area B is located at the highest western edge of the top of the mountain, with the numbered architectural relic 13 unit, which is mainly used for fortifications such as protective walls and forts built on the edge of the cliff on the top of the mountain. In addition, architectural relics that may be related to religious rituals and an entrance (exit) of the tunnel have been found in the north of Area B. The remains of the protective wall in Area B are distributed on the edge of the cliff from west to east, with a total length of nearly 300 meters. It is observed that the original protective wall has been built along the cliff, which is divided into two parts: the main wall built at the top of the mountain and the protective wall built under the outer cliff slope. Both the main wall and the protective wall are made of artificial hewn conglomerate blocks and a small amount of gravel and slate (strips), but there is only one main wall with a width of 0.6-0.8, and the existing height is only 0.1-0.3m.. The retaining wall is built on the outside of the cliff slope. According to the difference between gentle slope and steep slope, the position and form of retaining wall (multi-wall or single wall) are also different. A few wall sections also found fragments of wooden stakes inserted in the wall, which may be the remains of the original wall such as flagpoles. A group of buildings at the northeast end of area B is built at the highest point of the mountain, and the existing early cultural layers (lime soil) are distributed in this group of buildings. It is speculated that its relative age is later than the early site, and its use may also be related to religious sacrificial activities.

Area C is located in the southeast edge of the middle part of the site, with a length of nearly 300 from east to west and a width of about 30 meters from north to south, with an area of nearly 1 1,000 square meters. Area C is located at the highest point in the northeast of the peak. There are 20 numbered architectural relics (groups), most of which are fortifications such as protective walls and fortresses built on the northeast edge of the top of the mountain. In the west of Area C (now near Little Lacan), a group of public buildings that may have religious etiquette functions were discovered. The defense buildings in Area C turn from east to west and then from south to north, forming an "L"-shaped building complex with an existing total length of about 200 meters. In addition, there are many retaining wall relics outside the cliff slope.

Area D is located in the northernmost part of the site, on another hill with a slightly lower altitude, with relatively few remains. There are only eight numbered architectural relics, all of which are fortifications. Among them, 04KLDS8 is a multi-room fortress with a retaining wall and a circular puddle nearby, which may be a defensive camp for long-term residence. There are also several retaining wall remains and back holes that may lead to the top of the mountain. Especially under the cliff slope at the northern end of Area B, several retaining walls were built with conglomerate along the hillside, and the rocks of the wall were trimmed neatly. It can be seen that the military defense facilities and the planning and construction of the castle at the site of Qionglongcheng are obviously carefully arranged in advance.

The cultural relics collected on the ground of Yin Cheng site in the dome mainly include: some fragments of reddish-brown pottery with sand; Stone tools of various shapes, such as grindstones, stone mortar and stone chips; Armor fragments; Copper mouthparts; Jewelry such as beads; Aggregate and bone parts, etc.

Another large-scale site coexisting with Yin Cheng site on the dome is Zebang site, which is located on the first-class terrace on the west bank of Kuna Valley at the foot of Yin Cheng site on the dome. It is adjacent to Kuna River in the east and connected with the second terrace of Kuna River in the west. The south and north sides of the site are narrow valley entrances, and the site is just built on the wide valley terraces. According to preliminary investigation, the site is composed of residential settlements, stone sites, tombs and other different relics, with a north-south area of about 1300, a maximum width of 500 meters and a total distribution area of nearly 600,000 square meters. Residential relics are the main components of Zebang ruins, which are generally arranged in a line from north to south. Obviously, residential buildings have been carefully planned in advance and arranged in groups, forming a patchwork housing community, among which the numbers of 6, 12, 13, 14 and 35 in the center of the site are the largest. The shape of the building is mainly square and rectangular, and there are obvious traces of stone foundation on the surface of all kinds of houses, all of which are built of gravel. From the analysis of the natural environment where the site is located, it is speculated that these building materials are taken from the natural gravel accumulation layer on the floodplain of Kuna Valley. Around the main buildings, there are some relatively small architectural relics, such as square, round and irregular. It is speculated that the latter may be the trace left by the tent.

In the east of the site, near the secondary platform, there are pits of different sizes, which are round, oval and irregular in shape. Inferred from their distribution around the construction site and their scale, they may also be the remains such as puddles that people used to store water at that time.

The tombs of this site are mainly distributed in the south, north and southwest of the residential site. Judging from the scale of tombs, there are both large stone-accumulated tombs and small stone-accumulated tombs.

Among them, a gravelly tomb numbered M2 has the largest volume, and it is all made of natural gravels. Gravels may be bonded with soil, which can be roughly divided into two parts: stone foundation and tomb mound. The stone foundation is rectangular, with a length of 62 and a width of 17.3 meters. It is divided layer by layer in a trapezoidal shape. The tomb was built on a stone foundation. Due to the serious damage of early excavation, the tomb mound basically did not exist, forming a huge downward pit. The existing tomb is about 3-6 meters high. On the west (back) side of the tomb, there are stone doorways and three round or nearly round stone platforms, which are made of rubble. It is speculated that the use of the latter may belong to the altar or altar. Small rockfill tombs in the site are mainly distributed in groups in the south of the site, mostly arranged in the southeast-northwest direction. The side length of most tombs is 1.3 × 1.5 meters, and the stone frames left on the surface are basically flush with the surface. In addition, many stone platforms (stone altars) have been found in the site, such as the stone platform numbered 66, which is rectangular in shape. One end of the stone platform has a protruding circular altar, which is connected with the stone platform, and its use is related to a special sacrificial activity. At the eastern end of Zebang site, near the bank of Kuna River, there is a stone relic. The basic shape of the relic is a stone frame with a slightly trapezoidal plane. On the west and south borders of the stone frame, there are long strips of stones, most of which have been broken, but there are still two vertical stones with a length of 1 meter. Some residual pottery fragments were collected on the surface of the site.

Among the unearthed cultural relics, the site number. The Yin Cheng site 04KLAS66 in the dome may belong to the sacrificial site. A double-sided bronze statue was unearthed, with a strange shape, naked upper body, protruding breasts, kneeling, holding objects on his knees in one hand (because it is too broken to be distinguished in detail), with faces on both sides of his head, rough facial features and ferocious face, which has the remarkable characteristics of Buddhist statues before Tibet.

Around the Yin Cheng site of the dome, we also found two large cemeteries, named Rato and Qusongguo respectively. Each cemetery has hundreds of graves, most of which are made of stone piers on the surface, and several graves after trial excavation are all made of sarcophagus.

The investigation of the large-scale sites in the upper reaches of Xiangquan River centered on the dome and Yincheng is of great significance for promoting the archaeological research of the "Xiangxiong Age" in western Tibet. According to the historical records of Han and Tibetan, Xiangxiong Kingdom has a long history of founding the country, taking this religion as the state religion, having its own unique writing system and successively establishing different capitals and castles. Until the 7th century, the Tubo dynasty Zapousong Zagambo sent troops to destroy the ancient elephant kingdom, which was a powerful tribal alliance in the western and northern plateau of Tibet. However, for a long time, there is no corresponding archaeological data and literature to confirm each other. Up to now, the site group of "Yuan Qiu Yin Cheng" discovered in this survey is still worshipped by local monks as the birthplace of the prince of the elephant kingdom, and the ancient place name of Yuan Qiu Yin Cheng (Gukar, Yuan Qiu) has also been recorded in Tibetan history books. Judging from the temporal and spatial characteristics of the site, the possibility that it belongs to the remains of Xiangxiong Kingdom cannot be underestimated.

In addition, a number of Buddhist cave temples and temple relics have been discovered and re-examined in the new investigation of Xiangquan River Basin. Among them, the murals of Sandandong Temple are not only well preserved, but also have the same Indian Polo artistic style as the murals of Pargabu Grottoes found in the past, which makes up for the missing link in the process of changing the Buddhist grottoes murals in western Tibet from Kashmir artistic style to Polo artistic style. The age of several newly discovered Buddhist grottoes in Guge Shamba area can be estimated as 1 1 to15th century, which is also of great academic value for understanding the development and evolution of Buddhist art in different stages of Guge Kingdom.