China Guangzhou Net

The exhibition "Pompeii: Eternal City" is on display in the Museum of Nanyue King in the Western Han Dynasty. Among the 120 pieces of precious cultural relics from Pompeii ancient city in Italy, the shapes and crafts of many cultural relics are strikingly similar to those unearthed from the tombs of Nanyue kings: the bronze" laitong Cup "with the shape of deer head and the jade cup with rhinoceros horn, the semi spherical chain type gold bracelet and the gold flower bubble decoration What is the intersection between the second largest city of ancient Roman Empire buried by volcanic eruption before 1940 and the Western Han Dynasty and Nanyue? The reporter interviewed Wu Lingyun, director of Nanyue King Museum in the Western Han Dynasty.

In an exclusive interview with reporters, Wu Lingyun pointed out that many cultural relics unearthed from Han Tombs in Guangzhou are similar to those unearthed in Pompeii ancient city. The truth is that as early as the ancient city of Pompeii, the ancient Han Dynasty had achieved contact with the Roman Empire through the silk road. Many cultural relics confirm that Guangzhou is a civilized ancient city with more than 2000 years of foreign trade history.

The rhinoceros horn shaped jade Cup "laitong Cup" unearthed from the tomb of Nanyue King is similar to that of the bronze "laitong Cup" with deer head shape. Laitong cup originated in Lianghe River Basin, spread to Greece and Rome in the West and China in the east from 2000 to 3000 BC.

The glass products unearthed in Pompeii ancient city are similar to the three dark blue and purple glass bowls unearthed in the middle Western Han Dynasty tomb in Hengzhigang, Guangzhou in 1954. They may be glass containers imported from the Roman Empire.

Both the hemispherical chain type gold bracelet and the gold flower bubble ornament unearthed from the tomb of Nanyue King all adopt the same welding bead technology. According to textual research, the technology of welding beads appeared in the first dynasty of Ur (4000 B.C.) in the two river basins of Western Asia. Then it was popular in ancient Egypt, Crete and Persia, and spread to India after Alexander's eastern expedition in the 4th century BC.

There are too many similarities between the two ancient cities of Pompeii and Guangzhou

"Pompeii has a long coastline and is the second largest port city in ancient Roman Empire after Rome. Guangzhou and Pompeii, also as port cities, have great similarities and comparability." According to Wu Lingyun, this special exhibition of Pompeii: an eternal city is the first time that ancient Pompeii cultural relics have come to China. Guangzhou is the fifth and last stop of China's tour exhibition.

"Pompeii and Guangzhou are very similar: Pompeii is a port city in the Mediterranean Sea, and Guangzhou is a port city for more than 2000 years; Pompeii is the second largest port city next to the ancient Roman Empire, and Guangzhou has been a first-line city since ancient times; Pompeii, located in the Mediterranean Sea, is an ice free port, and Guangzhou Nansha port has been an excellent deep-water port since ancient times. It is remarkable that Guangzhou is the only maritime trade city in China that has continued for more than 2000 years without interruption. "

Cultural relics verification:

There was communication between Nanyue and Pompeii in the Western Han Dynasty

Wu Lingyun pointed out that "as early as the ancient city of Pompeii had not been annihilated, the ancient Han Dynasty had already realized the connection between the Silk Road and the Roman Empire. The two great powers were located at the East and West ends of the Eurasian continent, achieving two lofty peaks of the eastern and Western civilizations."

In 89 B.C., the ancient Romans conquered Pompeii. From August 23 to 24 A.D., the destructive eruption of Mount Vesuvius, located in the north of Pompeii, buried the second largest city of ancient Roman Empire 5 meters below the ground, setting the shape of that year. At that time, China was in the Han Dynasty.

"All roads lead to Rome." from the Western Zhou Dynasty, the spring and Autumn period, to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and the Warring States period, Guangzhou had continuous trade contacts with overseas countries, and the largest center of its exchanges was in the Lianghe River Basin. Silk from China was exchanged for glass, jewelry and technology there. From the bronze "laitong Cup" in the shape of deer head, the hemispherical gold bracelet with welding beads, to the glass products unearthed in the ancient city, and to the marble pool with groove shaped lines inside, there are striking similarities between the shapes, materials and techniques of various cultural objects unearthed from Guangzhou Han tombs, including the rhinoceros horn shaped jade cup and welding bead technology unearthed from the tomb of Nanyue King in the Western Han Dynasty in 1983 Gold flower bubble ornaments, garlic silver boxes, African ivory, frankincense along the Honghai coast, and three dark blue and purple glass bowls unearthed from the mid western Han Dynasty tomb in hengzhigang, Guangzhou in 1954

"As a typical representative of Han culture, the tomb of King Wen of Nanyue has found a lot of precious burial objects from foreign countries, which is exactly a representation of the magnificent atmosphere of the Han Dynasty, which is open and confident." Wu Lingyun came to the conclusion.

Pliny, a famous ancient Roman scholar and commander of the navy fleet, also recorded the situation of Chinese silk being transported to Rome at that time in his "natural history": "the celis Lin produced silk, which is well-known in the world They were woven into beautiful articles and sold to Rome. Rich and noble women, cut into clothes, brilliant. From the east end to the west end of the earth, it is extremely hard. " Pliny died in the rescue of Pompeii after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 ad.

Huang Dantong, all media reporter of Guangzhou Daily