The mystery of the hanging coffin has baffled the archaeological community, and experts have offered a reward of 1.4 billion VND to anyone who can find the answer.

Even after thousands of years, these hanging coffins still give modern experts a headache, because the ancients’ abilities and technology seemed not to be developed enough to carry out such a complicated task. How could they move coffins weighing hundreds of kilograms up the dangerous cliff without leaving any trace?

This prompted the archaeological community to offer a reward of 400,000 yuan (equivalent to 1.4 billion VND) to find the answer, and the story seemed to become more thrilling when a local farmer claimed that he was the one holding the key to this mystery.

Why did ancient people choose to hang coffins on dangerous cliffs? Was it a spiritual ritual, a way to protect the body from wild animals, or did it hide a deeper secret?

Hanging Coffins – Strange and Dangerous Customs

Hanging coffins are a form of burial originating from ancient Chinese ethnic minorities, where coffins are placed on wooden stakes driven into cliffs. In some places, coffins are placed in natural caves dozens of meters above the ground. Among the remaining relics, the Longhu Mountain area (Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi, China) is famous for its series of hanging coffins arranged along the rugged cliffs, below which is a large river, creating a majestic and mysterious scene.

The sight makes one wonder how the ancients moved and placed these coffins. According to experts, each coffin can weigh up to 300 kg, and they have survived intact for thousands of years. Despite many surveys and studies, questions about the technique and how it was done have not been satisfactorily answered.

Archaeologists have been trying to understand why and how the Baiyue people were able to place such heavy coffins in such inaccessible locations. To encourage the search for answers, in 1997, the Chinese archaeological community offered a reward of about 1.4 billion VND to anyone who could solve this mystery.

The journey to find the answer

In 1978, an archaeological team was set up to study the hanging coffins on Longhu Mountain. With the help of local people, the archaeologists discovered that the owners of these coffins were members of the Baiyue tribe, who lived 2,600 years ago. The Baiyue people originally lived around an area with many mountains and rivers, so cliff burials were probably a typical custom of theirs. However, the most puzzling thing is how the ancients were able to carry out this difficult task.

In 1989, a long-time farmer in the Longhu Mountain area claimed to know the “secret” of this mysterious burial custom. The farmer described a tool similar to a pulley system that the ancients may have used to move coffins up the cliff. Experts later tested this theory and successfully moved the heavy objects. However, the puzzling thing is that there are no traces of a pulley system or any tools left on the cliff after thousands of years.

Finally, an old farmer in Long Hu Mountain solved this mystery by using a pulley, a familiar transportation method of the local people. However, this answer could not satisfy the archaeological community.

Unsolved mystery

Surprisingly, not only are there no traces of tools, there is also no historical evidence of the Baiyue people using this method. At that time, technology was not advanced enough to create ropes or devices capable of supporting such a heavy object. Although the pulley hypothesis partly explains how the coffin was moved, many important factors remain unclear.

Transporting coffins hanging from cliffs nearly 100 meters high remains a scientific challenge. Archaeologists have tried many different approaches, but none have been completely convincing. Did the ancients use some technique that modern science has not yet discovered? Or is this simply one of those mysteries that history leaves behind forever?

Although the question of how the coffin was carried up the cliff remains unanswered, research and exploration continue. One day, with the advancement of modern technology and science, we may be able to solve this thousand-year-old mystery. The hanging coffin is not only a special archaeological relic, but also a testament to the creativity and ability of ancient people, making us endlessly curious and admiring.

Ultimately, the mystery of hanging coffin burial may be an unsolved question, but it has been an endless source of inspiration for generations of scientists, historians, and explorers. Will we one day have a complete answer to this question that has existed for more than 2,000 years?

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/bi-an-ve-chiec-quan-tai-tréo-khien-cong-dong-khao-co-boi-roi-va-cac-chuyen-gia-da-tréo-thuong-14-ty-vnd-cho-ai-co-the-tim-ra-cau-tra-loi-172240924071917754.htm