CHINA ARQUEOLOGIA golden-age-chinese-archayeolog

38
Bronze plaque inlaid with turquoise
Height 14.2 (5ft), width 9.8 (3 7 A)
Erlitou Culture, Period II (c. 1800-1700 BCE)
From the Erlitou site at Gedangtou, Yanshi,
Henan Province
The Institute of Archaeology, CASS, Beijing
Unprovenanced objects closely resembling this
bronze plaque were catalogued some years ago
as horse "frontlets," and indeed their size, shape,
and loops for attachment plausibly suggested this
identification; 1 their use of turquoise inlay, on
the other hand, was reminiscent of finely crafted
weapons from Anyang and other Late Shang contexts.
Only in 1981 was a plausible archaeological
source for this kind of object reported, with the excavation
of the grave at Erlitou that contained the
plaque shown here. 2 This example was found near
the chest of the deceased in a burial distinguished
by the richness of its furnishings, which included
fragments of lacquerware as well as bronzes and
jades. Since its discovery, other rich burials at the
site have yielded similar plaques. However, there
is no evidence at Erlitou for horses or their trappings,
and chariots cannot be attested in northern
China prior to the Anyang occupation several
centuries later. Thus, the function of this and the
other plaques remains a matter for conjecture.
All of these plaques measure about 15 centimeters
in length, with rounded corners, small loops
on each long side, and raised bands that contain
small fragments of turquoise. Turquoise has been
found in other contexts at Erlitou, such as the inlay
on a bronze disk (possibly a mirror) and strings of
beads. The stone was not native to the region, however,
and must have been acquired through some
kind of trade from distant points. We have little if
any evidence for the use of turquoise with bronze
after the Erlitou culture period in northern China
until it reappears in the Late Shang, as for example
in objects from the tomb of Fu Hao (cats. 46-54).
This design is often interpreted as a mask on
the visual evidence of what appear to be two round
eyes peering over a snout and two jaws surmounted
146 BRONZE ACE CHINA