The Poison of the Tomb's Mechanisms

Whether the "hidden fire" was caused by ancients intentionally placing some unknown substance in the tomb cannot be directly proven by archaeological discoveries at present, but it is certain that toxic substances were placed in the tomb.

         The methods used by ancients to counter tomb robbing were diverse. Tombs such as fake mounds, cliff tombs, quicksand tombs, and fire pit tombs had a relatively high success rate in preventing robbery, but they also had problems, namely that the design was too complex, which ordinary families could hardly achieve. However, there is a simpler method—placing toxic substances inside the tomb to form a poisonous tomb; or applying special substances to the corpse to create corpse poison. Tomb robbers who rashly enter such poisonous tombs would die from poisoning, and even the light cases would become disabled, suffering so-called retribution. There are many records of "poisonous tombs" in ancient texts. When Liu Qu, King of Guangchuan during the Han Dynasty, robbed the ancient tomb of King Wei Xiang from the Warring States period, besides discovering that the tomb was poured with molten iron, there was a shocking discovery upon opening it: a toxic gas was emitted, "yellow gas like fog, touching people's noses and eyes was extremely painful, and one could not enter. It was guarded by soldiers for seven days before it subsided." "Youyang Zazu · Shi Xi" records: "Northeast of Beiqiu County is the tomb of Duke Jing of Qi. In recent times, someone opened it. Descending three zhang, a goose was found in a stone box, the goose turned its wings to push the stones. Descending another zhang, green gas rose up, looking like pottery smoke; birds flying over it would fall and die, so no one dared to enter." The gas emitted from the tomb was so lethal that it killed birds flying overhead, showing the severity of the tomb's poison. Wang Chong's "Lunheng · Si Wei Pian" (Volume 21): "When the Xin Dynasty changed the burial of Empress Fu of Emperor Yuan, they opened her coffin, took the jade box and imperial seals to Dingtao, and buried her with commoner rites. When the coffin was opened, a stench filled the sky. The Cheng of Luoyang, inspecting the coffin, died from the smell." The official who came to inspect the coffin was actually killed by the stench emanating from the coffin, showing that the gas was not just foul-smelling but toxic. Wang Chong speculated on the source of the "toxic gas" in the book: "The stench reached the sky; there was much stored food, which rotted and emitted foul odors. People could not endure the toxic anger, but it was not considered strange." The special "poison" commonly used in ancient times was mercury. Mercury is a liquid metal with many aliases in ancient China: lead essence, cha nu, mercury, flowing pearl, red mercury, sand mercury, spiritual liquid, living treasure. From these rich names, one can understand the status of mercury in the minds of the ancients. Mercury had wide uses and was also a commonly used preservative for corpses by the ancients. In tombs from the Qin, Han, and earlier periods, records of using mercury are frequent. The tomb of Duke Huan of Qi contained a "mercury pool." The toxic gas formed by the evaporation of mercury caused great trouble for tomb robbers. Tang dynasty scholar Zhang Shoujie's "Zhengyi of the Records of the Grand Historian" cites the contemporary geographical book "Kuodi Zhi": "The tomb of Duke Huan of Qi is 21 li south of Linzi County on Niushan, also known as Dingzu Mountain, or Niushou Gang, with two graves at one site. At the end of the Yongjia era of the Jin Dynasty, people opened it. At first, they found boards, then a mercury pool. There was gas that prevented entry. After several days, they led a dog in..." Among tombs designed with mercury to counter tomb robbing, the most famous is the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. "Records of the Grand Historian · Annals of Qin Shi Huang" (Volume 6) records: "Mercury was used for the rivers, streams, and seas, circulating through mechanisms, depicting the heavens above and the geography below." The amount of mercury used in his tomb was astonishing, filling the entire stratigraphy within the tomb, becoming a terrifying "underground toxic river." Imagine, in a sealed space, if tomb robbers invaded, who could walk out alive? Whether the "corpse poison" and "toxic gas" in ancient tombs were intentionally placed by ancients or formed later is also controversial in the archaeological community. In the few days before death, ancients who knew their lifespan was ending would often take cinnabar-like substances to ensure their corpses would not decay for a long time after death. Another reason is that ancients, including emperors, superstitiously believed in "immortality drugs" to increase longevity, just like modern people like health supplements, taking them for a long time. These drugs, such as cinnabar and immortality pills, contained toxic substances like mercury, which accumulated in the body and bones. Over time, they would inevitably emit out, objectively forming "corpse poison." "Taiping Guangji · Mu Zhong" (Volume 389), "Wang Can" entry: "When Emperor Wu of Wei campaigned north against Tadun, he climbed the ridge to look around and saw a hill where no grass grew. Wang Can said: 'It must be an ancient tomb. This person, while alive, consumed raw yushi (toxic sulfide ore, which was once one of the raw materials for ancient 'immortality drugs'). After death, the stone gas evaporated out, so the plants and trees withered.' He ordered them to dig and see, and indeed, there was a large tomb filled with yushi. Another account says Wang Can was in Jingzhou, climbing Zhangshan with Liu Biao, and saw this anomaly. When Cao Cao pacified the Wuhuan, Wang Can was still in Jiangnan, so this statement is likely correct." The gist of this story is that when Emperor Wu of Wei campaigned north against the Wuhuan, he climbed a ridge and looked far, discovering a hill where not a blade of grass grew. Wang Can deduced from this that an ancient tomb was buried there. He also inferred that the tomb owner, while alive, had consumed raw yushi (toxic sulfide ore, which was once one of the raw materials for ancient 'immortality drugs'). After death, the toxic gas volatilized, causing the ground to remain barren. Emperor Wu was skeptical but had it dug up, and indeed, there was a large tomb filled with yushi. From this story, we can see that the "source of poison" in this ancient tomb was due to the tomb owner consuming yushi while alive or having yushi placed after death. No matter where the "poison" in ancient tombs comes from, "poisonous tombs" do indeed exist. Therefore, later tomb robbers or archaeological experts would be cautious to prevent "poisoning." Generally, when archaeological personnel design archaeological excavation plans, they consider whether high-level ancient tombs have toxic gas or mechanisms, and prepare protective equipment with special functions such as gloves and masks in advance. Only after confirming that there are no safety hazards threatening life will they open the tomb chamber and coffin. In early 2007, when archaeological experts opened the No. 1 Han Tomb at Shuangdun in Lu'an, Anhui, they considered the possibility of toxic gas or mechanisms in the tomb. However, since this tomb had been severely damaged as early as the Tang Dynasty, no accidents occurred in the end. In early 2009, a group of tomb robbers at the top of Dayun Mountain in Dongyang were poisoned and three were knocked unconscious in the tomb-robbing tunnel around 2 a.m. on January 4, 2009, and two were killed. The cause of poisoning has never been clearly explained. Because this group of tomb robbers was experienced, they had been using blowers and ventilation ducts to send air down during the tunnel excavation process, and there were no cases of oxygen deficiency over nearly two months. So, in the sudden poisoning incident, whether they dug up corrosive substances or fell into the mechanisms set by the "princely tomb" has always been controversial.