Two tomb raiders in Hubei Province were recently caught after stealing 20 bronze artifacts. What surprised authorities was that these individuals had learned tomb raiding techniques by reading novels.
According to a report by CCTV News on August 25th, the arrested tomb raiders were identified as Chen and Yu. Yu stated that the fantastical and adventurous plots found in tomb raiding novels deeply captivated him. As his interest in this genre grew, he began reading them daily, becoming more and more enthralled with the stories. He started cross-referencing the books with real-life details, and when faced with unverifiable content, he would even meticulously cross-check local county records. The mystical “secret techniques” depicted in the novels further ensnared Yu, eventually leading him to contemplate putting them into practice.
Upon seeing the news of the discovery of a large number of jade and bronze artifacts at the Guojiamiao tomb group, Yu targeted this location for tomb raiding.
After successfully raiding the tomb, the two were apprehended while trying to sell the stolen artifacts.
Staff at the Xiangyang Museum revealed that the raided tomb had not been fully excavated yet, and the true identity and rank of the tomb owner would be further confirmed through the subsequent excavation of artifacts.
Of the 20 stolen bronze artifacts, 9 are inscribed with text, all of which have been classified as first-grade cultural relics. The inscriptions detail the reasons for the casting of the objects, the ancestors they were dedicated to, and significant related events.
The Guojiamiao tomb group was discovered over twenty years ago during the construction of a highway. Initial excavations were carried out by workers, and in 2014, the Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology conducted a joint re-excavation of the site.