It is actually quite interesting to talk about the deposed emperor of the Han Dynasty. Although he was the ninth emperor of the Han Dynasty, he was the emperor with the shortest reign. In other words, such an emperor should There are no burial objects, but the things unearthed from his tomb are really amazing. His tomb is the famous tomb of Haihunhou. Among them, a product called horseshoe gold was unearthed. So what is this thing? What is it? How valuable is it? Follow me and continue to reveal the secrets and analyze it!

Among the archaeological results of the tomb of Haihunhou, the most eye-catching thing is the dazzling array of funerary objects in the tomb. , gold products play an important role among them.

These horseshoe gold pieces were mainly found in the main coffin room of Haihun Hou Liu He and between the inner and outer coffins. There are as many as 48 pieces in one collection.

As the name suggests, horseshoe gold looks like a horseshoe and is made of gold.

It seems that the shape of these golden horseshoes is exactly the same as that of real horseshoes. However, this is not a large solid gold nugget. If you turn it over, you will find that the horseshoe gold is actually hollow.

In addition, there are very fine patterns on the upper edge of the horseshoe gold. This is done by pulling the gold into very thin gold wires, making various patterns, and then welding them on. It is the so-called "filigree craft". It is said that this technology was introduced from the West.

It can also be seen from the well-preserved horseshoe gold that the mouths of these hollow horseshoe gold were originally inlaid with glass pieces, but unfortunately most of them have been broken. Liuli was also a relatively precious material in the Han Dynasty.

Gold, colored glaze, and complex craftsmanship demonstrate the extraordinary value of horseshoe gold. Obviously, this is no ordinary gold currency or handicraft.

It just so happens that there are special records of horseshoe gold in the literature of the Han Dynasty.

"Han Shu·Wudi Ji" records: I went to see God in my suburbs, climbed to the west of Longshou, and got a white lin to feed the ancestral temple. Pegasus came out of the Wowa water, and gold was seen on Mount Tai. It is appropriate to change the name. , Now more gold is used as the toe of the lin, and the hoof is used to support the withered auspiciousness.

This is what this ancient passage says. In his later years, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty unexpectedly received three auspicious things:

First, he once went on a cruise to Longshan, where he caught a white unicorn.

Secondly, by the Wowa River in Dunhuang, someone caught a wild horse and presented it to the emperor as a Pegasus. Qilin and Pegasus were both auspicious beasts at that time.

The third thing is that gold was discovered on Mount Tai. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very happy and had two kinds of gold products cast, namely Linzhi gold and Jieho [niǎo tí] gold.

Linzhi gold was also found in the tomb of Haihunhou, as shown in the picture below:

Its structure is very similar to horseshoe gold, but its shape is more unique. Close to deer-like hooves. We don't know what the unicorn captured by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was, but judging from the unicorn's toe, it was probably some kind of white deer.

As for the hooves, it is more interesting. The ancients said: In ancient times, there was a horse named Yao, with a red beak and a black body, and it could travel fifteen thousand miles in a day. Therefore, the so-called hooves are the hooves of the Pegasus, which is the golden horse hooves we see.

So, why did Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty make gold horseshoes and gold toes? Is it just to commemorate the appearance of these three auspicious things?

No, history books clearly record that these things were used Class given to princes and kings.

In his later years, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was quite similar to Qin Shihuang. They were both eager to seek immortality and long for immortality. Therefore, whenever you encounter such a fairy-like thing, you should show off in a big way. He couldn't wait to share the auspiciousness with the princes and kings of the old Liu family, and horseshoe gold and lin toe gold became the best carriers.

Finally, by the way, the reason why there are so many gold horseshoes and gold toes in Haihunhou's tomb is related to Liu He's father.

Liu He's father, Liu Kun, was the fifth son of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. His mother was Mrs. Li who "looked at the Qingren city and then the Qingren country". Both mother and son were deeply attached to each other. Favored, Liu Kun was named King of Changyi.

Therefore, Liu Kun would not be left behind when he was rewarded with treasures.

The life of Haihun Hou Liu He was full of ups and downs. After he was ousted from the throne of the emperor, the imperial court showed mercy and allowed him to inherit the things from the original Changyi Palace. Therefore, these horseshoe gold and lin toe gold finally returned to Liu He's hands.

References:

Wei Zheng: Horseshoe Gold, Lin Toe Gold and Immortal Belief in the Han Dynasty, Southern Cultural Relics, 2017.01