The ancient tombs were all sealed from the inside, how did the last worker escape?

As we know, ancient emperors attached great importance to building tombs. They started building tombs when they first ascended the throne. Some people wonder, why would someone think of building a tomb when he was still young and strong? Isn't this a bad omen?

However, ancient emperors felt that as long as the tomb was built magnificently, they would still live in luxury after death. Therefore, most of the tombs of royal families or ancient officials contained many valuable treasures, hoping that the deceased could enjoy prosperity in the afterlife.

Most of the tombs of royal families or ancient officials contain many treasures. (Illustration photo).

In addition, because science and technology were not yet developed at that time, it was impossible to mechanize and could only use human power, so the construction of a tomb required a lot of money, material resources and manpower. From choosing a location, designing, mobilizing workers, preparing funds, and finally constructing the tomb, each step took a lot of time. Therefore, ancient emperors often started thinking about building a tomb as soon as they ascended the throne.

People will wonder one thing, when the underground mausoleum was built and buried, the mausoleum door was tightly closed from the inside, how did the last workers escape from there?

According to Sima Qian's "Historical Records" , after Qin Shi Huang died, Qin Ershi buried him in the mausoleum that Qin Shi Huang himself had built when he was alive. Qin Ershi feared that the secrets of the mausoleum would be exposed by the craftsmen, so he secretly ordered the killing of all those who participated in the construction process. These people were all imprisoned and suffocated underground.

Many emperors secretly ordered the killing of all those involved in the construction of their tombs. (Illustration photo).

In fact, not only Qin Shi Huang but many ancient emperors used this method to hide the secret of their underground tombs. All were afraid that their gold, silver and jewels would be stolen.

Avoiding revealing the tomb's blueprints, and blinded by the silver and gold, most of the craftsmen who knew the tomb's key secrets were murdered or buried with the tomb's owner. Some craftsmen learned of the fate of their predecessors and understood that they could not escape death, so they found a way to live for themselves.

First of all, looking back at the construction of the gates of Ming Dynasty tombs, we will understand how the craftsmen could escape.

Emperor Shenzong of Ming and his two empresses were buried in the Ming Ding Mausoleum. This is also the only tomb among the thirteen royal tombs in the Thirteen Tombs that has been excavated.

Some craftsmen understood that they could not escape death so they found a way to live for themselves. (Illustration photo).

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, how to enter the Ming Ding Mausoleum became a difficult problem for archaeologists. From the outside, the underground gate of the mausoleum was completely locked from the inside. If explosives were used, it would cause serious damage to the relic.

But the archaeologists suddenly had a thought: "If no one locked the gate from the inside, the craftsmen could certainly have used some mysterious mechanism to close the gate. It is unlikely that things would be like what was previously assumed, that after the tomb gate was locked, all the craftsmen suffocated inside."

This is the key point that contains the wisdom of the craftsmen. It is the method through the blocking force of the stone block on the gate. 

When closing the mausoleum gate, waiting until everyone inside has completely left, taking advantage of the natural tilt and gravity, people place the stone against the latch of the large door that is closed from the inside, using the strength of the stone to block the door.

"Automatic kick" mechanism.

The mausoleum gate uses a type of stone called "automatic stone" to firmly lock. The workers designed a small groove in the ground. After placing the "automatic stone" in that groove, people lean the stone block against the gate and gradually close it. If people outside do not understand this mechanism, it is very difficult to open it.

The workers used this method to avoid the tragic fate of being buried alive underground. At that time, people knew how to take advantage of gravity , and could also roughly estimate the speed and time of falling of the stone block , which helped them quickly escape from the underground tomb.