1. "Looking". Just look at Qi, Feng Shui, and vegetation. Ancient Chinese society was relatively superstitious and believed in the theory of Feng Shui treasures. Therefore, mausoleums were often chosen to be located in Feng Shui treasures. For example, a place with mountains and water must be a place where tombs gather. In addition, the vegetation and even soil around the tomb are important basis for whether there is a tomb. For example, where there are ancient tombs, because the soil has been excavated and trampled, the growth of crops will be worse than those next to them. In addition, when it snows, different geology will leave different traces. If you encounter a place surrounded by mountains, surrounded by clear water, with rolling hills and beautiful scenery, or a place with deep soil and dry climate, check it out in detail. It is possible to find some large tombs without ground markings.
2. "Smell". Just smell the smell and tell whether there is a tomb somewhere based on the difference in smell. For example, in the tombs of the Qin and Han dynasties, mercury and cinnabar were often poured into them for antiseptic purposes; while the walls of tombs after the Tang and Song dynasties were usually smeared with green plaster mud. It is said that some people have an olfactory function that is beyond the reach of ordinary people, even better than that of hounds. They can judge the age of the tomb and whether it has been robbed based on the smell in the soil just by smelling it with their noses. Some people can even accurately distinguish Han Dynasty tombs from Tang Dynasty tombs. The tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties have a stronger smell because they were later made and most of them were made of masonry. Another meaning of "smell" is to listen to sounds. Although a large amount of soil is backfilled and compacted during burial in general large ancient tombs, due to their age, the soil will inevitably settle naturally, and some become solid on the outside and empty on the inside. Once this kind of "strong on the outside and dry on the inside" mausoleum is subject to a large vibration, such as thunder in the sky, it can emit a sound different from other places to the surface. Experienced people can tell whether there is a tomb here through the subtle differences in these sounds. Moreover, the sounds emitted by tombs with different geology and ages are different.
3. "Ask". Finding a tomb requires gathering information from multiple sources. There are many stories about ancient tombs circulated in Chinese folklore. In some places that are relatively remote and suitable for building tombs, you can ask the locals about the history, what prominent figures have been there, and whether any strange phenomena have occurred. Get information about the tombs by talking to these people.
4. "Cut". It is to conduct an in-depth and detailed survey of the ground surface. This is also the most important step in finding ancient tombs. It can not only judge the authenticity of the ancient tomb, but also determine its age, scale, and the condition of the burial objects. Insert the Luoyang shovel into the ground and judge by the soil layer brought up by the shovel. If the soil layer has the same color and is harmonious as a whole, it means that the underground here has not been excavated and there are no tombs. If there are faults in the soil layer, the color changes, and there are different kinds of five-flowered soil mixed in, it is very likely that there are tombs. If there are some impurities such as metal, pottery shards, sawdust, cinnabar, pit ash, etc. in the soil brought out, it means that there must be an ancient tomb here, and the age of the tomb can be judged based on the metal and pottery shards. People with a keen sense of smell can also judge the tomb information based on the smell of the soil brought out by the Luoyang shovel. During the Luoyang shovel detection process, the condition of the tomb can be judged based on the different feelings of the hand on the shovel handle. If the hand feels lighter, it means the soil is softer. If the hand feels a strong tremor, it means it has hit something hard. Then based on the small differences, it can be determined whether it is a coffin, a rock, or something else.
The above can be said to be wild. For example, the Luoyang shovel was invented by tomb robbers. But now, archaeologists have begun to use this thing a long time ago, and it is regarded as "standard equipment." Archaeologists also need to study some history books and ancient books to determine whether there may be tombs somewhere.
Sometimes during construction, ancient tombs may be discovered. This is very random and cannot be relied on to find ancient tombs. You can't just use an excavator to dig everywhere, right?