千年简牍揭密，秦始皇“求仙问药”寻长生不老

China’s first emperor launched an obsessive search for the elixir of life before dying aged 49 in 210 BCE, new archaeological research has revealed.

最近的考古研究发现，中国第一位皇帝(死于公元210年，享年49岁)穷其一生都在寻找长生不死药。

Qin Shi Huang, who created the world-famous terracotta army, ordered a nationwide hunt for the mythical potion.

创造了兵马俑的秦始皇，曾下令在全国范围内搜寻只属于神话传说中的灵丹妙药。

The quest is mentioned in 2000-year-old texts written on thousands of wooden slats - used in China before paper.

对长生不老药的探寻在2000年前纸张发明之前的几千卷木简书中均有记载。

They were found in 2002 at the bottom of a well in central Hunan province.

在2002年，人们在中国中部省份湖南省的一口井底下发现了这些带有记载的竹简。

The writings contain an executive order issued by the emperor, and assorted awkward replies from regional governments who had failed to find the key to eternal life.

竹简上记载了皇帝的诰令，以及地方官员因找寻永生之法无果而小心翼翼回禀的奏疏。

One locality, Langya, apparently believed that "an herb collected from an auspicious local mountain" could fit the bill.

而秦始皇却相信琅玡“有仙山，可寻不死之草，以其入药，可保长生不死”。

Qin Shi Huang’s terracotta warriors were further evidence of how seriously he took mortality. The 8,000 soldiers depicted his armies, including horses and chariots.

秦始皇的兵马俑进一步证明了他对生死看得有多重。他的（俑）军队有8000士兵，还有战马战车。

When he died, they were arranged in his huge mausoleum to protect the emperor in the afterlife.

秦始皇入土后，兵马俑随葬，以期能够在死后的世界继续为皇帝效忠。