Archaeologists were surprised to find a modern cup in an ancient tomb more than 2,000 years old, what treasure is this?

Since ancient times, people used to bury burial objects in graves. If the owner of the tomb is a person of high status, the objects used for burial are of course also very rich and precious. This makes it attractive to grave robbers and many traders of cultural relics.

However, in reality, there are strange objects with ordinary appearance but unexpectedly are rare treasures for thousands of years. The story below is an example.

In October 1990, in Shitang Village, Banshan Town, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province (China), a brick factory worker accidentally discovered some small pits while working on a brick factory. collect soil and fired bricks. The factory workers suspected that underneath these pits could be an ancient tomb, so they informed the authorities.

After the cultural heritage management agency sent archeology experts to this area to conduct investigation and research.

The ancient tomb was discovered in the premises of a brick factory in Zhejiang province (China).

As a result, archaeologists discovered that underneath some small pits in the campus of this factory, there are ancient tombs with origins dating back to the Warring States period.

In this ancient tomb there are many precious burial items such as jade, precious stones… This shows that the owner of the tomb must not be an ordinary person. Unfortunately, this tomb has been trespassed by grave robbers and stolen some important clues. As a result, experts were not able to accurately determine the true identity of the owner of the tomb.

In the process of searching for clues, based on the half-life of radioactive carbon on the wooden stick in the tomb, experts concluded that this is an ancient tomb belonging to the late Warring States period (about 250 BC).

Then, experts classified and collected cultural relics in the tomb. At this time, archaeologists discovered a shiny object on the ground. It appears to be a glass object. When the expert got closer, it turned out to be like a modern-day goblet.

At first, some experts thought it was just a cup that grave robbers forgot after drinking water. However, others said that this is not a simple object and needs to be studied more carefully.

After researching, the results were beyond imagination. The cup above is no ordinary modern object. Specifically, this cup dates back more than 2,000 years. This important discovery has brought important clues to researchers, shocking archaeologists.

The cup that looks like a modern object is actually a treasure made of crystal more than 2,000 years ago.

According to experts, the cup in this tomb is made of natural crystal, 15.4 cm high, 7.8 cm in diameter, 5.4 cm bottom diameter. The cup from the Warring States period surprised many people because although it looked simple overall, there was no decorative pattern, but this treasure exuded amber light, unlike a regular cup.

This is a testament to the masterful skill of the craftsmen who made the cup more than 2,000 years ago.

Experts estimate that today’s craftsmen will take many years to make a crystal cup in the Warring States period.

Arguing about treasures of more than 2,000 years

The crystal cup in the Warring States-era tomb has experts debated about 3 hard-to-understand mysteries.

First, how to make it. According to experts, this cup is made from a monolithic piece of crystal. So, how did the craftsmen more than 2,000 years ago hollow it out? How to turn a crystal block into a cup of water? Experts say it’s more likely that ancient workers used a method similar to making jade.

Second, the polishing problem. Despite spending more than 2,000 years in the ancient tomb, this crystal cup has both surface and inner wall as smooth as jade. Polishing the outside is not difficult, but the inside of the cup is not so simple. So, how did the craftsmen polish this artifact?

Third, raw materials. At first, no one questioned where the ingredients for this cup came from. However, after the cup became famous, it attracted the interest of many people in society. Experts from Zhejiang Provincial Department of Geology and Mineral Resources believe that China does not have crystal of such high quality and purity? As a result, many experts speculate that the materials used to make the 2,000-year-old goblet may have come from a depleted crystal deposit or a tribute from abroad.

The crystal cup has been recognized as a national treasure and is now kept and displayed at the Hangzhou Museum. This cup is a unique product among national treasures. To be able to use the precious crystal cup in the Warring States period