CHINA ARQUEOLOGIA golden-age-chinese-archayeolog

More documents

Recommendations

Info

The Bronze Age of ChinaZ O U H E N G | The Bronze Age comprises three periods of Chinese history: the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties.Archaeological investigation of the Bronze Age (sometimes referred to as "the Three Dynasties")began in the 19205, but prior to 1949 no archaeological remains relating to the periodassociated with the Xia culture had been found. Scholars knew of its existence from referencesin historical texts; some identified the Xia culture with the Yangshao culture, while others identifiedit with the Longshan culture. The lack of physical evidence, however, rendered theseidentifications essentially speculative.Archaeological investigation of the Shang dynasty began with the excavation of the siteat Yinxu in Anyang, Henan province. In the course of fifteen seasons of controlled excavations,lasting from 1928 to 1937, palace foundations and imperial mausoleums from the late Shangperiod were discovered, along with thousands of inscribed oracle bones and a large number ofbronze, jade, and ceramic objects. These discoveries indicated that the capital during the lateShang period was at the site of the present-day village of Xiaotun, Anyang, Henan province.As for Zhou dynasty archaeology, a number of burials had been discovered in Jun, Hui, and Jincounties, Henan province, and at Baoji, Shaanxi province, but no dwellings were found.The archaeology of the Three Dynasties began in earnest only after 1949, but the last fiftyyears have yielded an extraordinary abundance of Xia, Shang, and Zhou sites throughout thecountry — and the discoveries continue. These finds have progressively resolved many scholarlyissues. The last half-century of archaeological investigation in China has been an extraordinarytime, and, particularly in respect to the work on China's Bronze Age, we may rightly call thisperiod the Golden Age of Chinese archaeology.Cat. 65, detailARCHAEOLOGY OF THE XIA DYNASTYThe earliest Chinese historical texts, such as the Shang shu (Book of documents) and the Shijing(Classic of poetry), contain several references to the Xia dynasty. Sima Qian (145-86 BCE),the Western Han dynasty author, described the history of the Xia dynasty in great detail andrecorded the chronology of the Xia imperial family, particularly in his Shi ji (Records of thehistorian). The existence of the Xia dynasty was undeniable — at least with respect to thewritten record. 1Archaeology has provided physical corroboration of the existence of the Xia dynasty, asit did for the Shang dynasty. Prior to the excavations at Yinxu, some scholars even doubtedwhether the Shang had in fact existed; the Yinxu excavations confirmed the fact that it was athriving and distinct culture. Many Shang kings were named in the large number of inscribedoracle bones discovered at Yinxu. These records of divinations conducted by the kings andtheir diviners at the Shang court confirm that that the rulers named in the inscriptions by andlarge correspond to those named in the chronology of the Shang imperial family recorded inthe chapter on the Shang (Yin ben ji) of the Shi ji. The correspondence between excavated ob-527
Cat. 68, detailjects and the written history reinforces the reliability of each. The reliability of the Shangchronology, moreover, indicates that the Xia imperial chronology in the chapter correspondingto the earlier dynasty (Xia ben ji) must also be correct and could not have been fabricated bySima Qian. Archaeological finds proved the existence of the Shang dynasty; it was logical toassume that evidence for the Xia dynasty could be investigated in the same way.The archaeology of the Xia culture can be understood by drawing on what we know of theShang culture. The Shang kingdom was built on the ruins of a defeated Xia kingdom; therefore,Shang culture must have developed from the Xia. The discovery of early Shang sites inZhengzhou in the 19505 paved the way for the proper investigation of the Xia. Archaeological528 | ZOU HENC
Page 2:
THE GOLDEN ACE OFChinese Archaeolog
Page 5:
The exhibition is sponsored by East
Page 8 and 9:
CHU AND OTHER CULTURESC. 770- 221 B
Page 10 and 11:
THE WHITE HOUSEWASHINGTONJune 24,19
Page 12 and 13:
China offers this important exhibit
Page 14:
from several continents, whose illu
Page 17 and 18:
AcknowledgmentsFive years ago, when
Page 19:
Archaeological Sites
Page 22 and 23:
BRONZE AGE CHINACHU ANDOTHERCULTURE
Page 24:
CHINESE HISTORICAL PERIODS AND DYNA
Page 27 and 28:
since Shen Nong, or Yan Di —the f
Page 29 and 30:
(American, 1870-1946), chief palaeo
Page 31 and 32:
Hardstone owl; height 34.1(i3 3 /s)
Page 33 and 34:
Soon after, two young Chinese schol
Page 35 and 36:
prise with steady, though modest, f
Page 37 and 38:
archaeologists were scarce and supe
Page 39 and 40:
Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). 71
Page 41 and 42:
Bronze spirit tree; height384 (151
Page 43 and 44:
bution, chronology, and behavior; t
Page 45 and 46:
1 The jin shi xue was formally esta
Page 48:
CATALOGUE
Page 52 and 53:
The Foundation of Chinese Civilizat
Page 54 and 55:
exhibit similarities to those of th
Page 56 and 57:
the first Banpo phase, nearly all o
Page 58 and 59:
kind of graphic notation. These mar
Page 60 and 61:
of triangles pointing outward. The
Page 62 and 63:
3Painted pottery ping flaskHeight 3
Page 64 and 65:
4Painted pottery hu jarHeight 20.8
Page 66 and 67:
65 I YANCSHAO CULTURE: BANPO
Page 68 and 69:
1 Excavated in 1978; published: Lin
Page 70 and 71:
Painted pottery pen basin;height 12
Page 72 and 73:
of the relationships between Majiay
Page 74 and 75:
ing one another and holding between
Page 76 and 77:
7Painted pottery ping containerHeig
Page 78 and 79:
9Painted pottery guan jarHeight 21.
Page 80 and 81:
Aerial view of the femalespirit tem
Page 82 and 83:
of the eponymous female spirit —
Page 84 and 85:
FIG. i. Jade coiled dragon;height 2
Page 86 and 87:
n1 Two-thirds of the mound had been
Page 88 and 89:
13impressive of the Niuheliang tomb
Page 90 and 91:
89 I HONCSHAN CULTURE
Page 92 and 93:
i6i6Jade owlWidth 3.8 (iV 2 )Hongsh
Page 94 and 95:
i8i8Cloudlike jade plaqueHeight 12.
Page 96 and 97:
20FIG. 2. Triple-bi'-shapedjade pen
Page 98 and 99:
vey the impression that she is talk
Page 100 and 101:
THE DAWENKOUAND SHANDONGLONCSHANCUL
Page 102 and 103:
alligator scutes (probably the rema
Page 104 and 105:
groups, each with distinct customs.
Page 106 and 107:
FIG. i. Jade blade incisedwith gogg
Page 108 and 109:
Painted pottery pen basin;height 20
Page 110 and 111:
25Painted pottery pan basinHeight 8
Page 112 and 113:
26a26Two painted pottery hu vessels
Page 114 and 115:
2/a27Two painted pottery pen basins
Page 116 and 117:
28Jade and bone hair ornament inlai
Page 118 and 119:
THE LIANCZHU The Liangzhu culture i
Page 120 and 121:
Of all Liangzhu achievements, jade
Page 122 and 123:
2 9Jade congHeight 10 (3 7s), exter
Page 124 and 125:
the motif by elevating it into reli
Page 126 and 127:
FIG. i. Reconstruction ofthe axe an
Page 128 and 129:
A pair of clawed feet, also represe
Page 130 and 131:
by two winglike shapes covered with
Page 132 and 133:
35Jade zhuo braceletHeight 2.6 (i),
Page 134 and 135:
Cat. 35, incised and carveddecorati
Page 136:
rated surfaces, spherical beads —
Page 140 and 141:
The Epic of the Three DynastiesBRON
Page 142 and 143:
Yangzi River (cats. 65-75) and Daya
Page 144 and 145:
Conjectural reconstructionof one of
Page 146 and 147:
37interiorouter mold sections would
Page 148 and 149:
FIG. i. Cat 38: inlayand cross sect
Page 150 and 151:
40perforation, the same four segmen
Page 152 and 153:
FIG. i. Plan of Tomb 612 atDadianzi
Page 154 and 155:
the early Shang bronzes did not ari
Page 156 and 157:
42Painted pottery lei jarHeight 30
Page 158 and 159:
43Painted pottery hu jarHeight 40.5
Page 160 and 161:
159 I TOMBS OF THE LOWER XIAJIADIAN
Page 162 and 163:
45Pottery jiao vesselHeight 18 (7 V
Page 164 and 165:
Conjectural reconstructionof the ed
Page 166 and 167:
ing a dedicatory inscription to ano
Page 168 and 169:
Cat 67 from above andside: decorati
Page 170 and 171:
4»Bronze owl-shaped zun vesselHeig
Page 172 and 173:
Cat. 49 from above andside. After Z
Page 174 and 175:
1/3 | TOMB 5 AT XIAOTUN
Page 176 and 177:
51Bronze jue vesselHeight 37.3 (i4
Page 178 and 179:
for binding the axe to the shaft; t
Page 180 and 181:
179 I TOMB 5 AT XIAOTUN
Page 182 and 183:
54a. Jade craneLength 12 (4 3 / 4 )
Page 184 and 185:
Bovid scapulas excavated in1971 fro
Page 186 and 187:
56ancestral sacrifices, so that the
Page 188 and 189:
THE TOMB ATDAYANGZHOU,XIN'GAN,JIANG
Page 190 and 191:
57Bronze two-sided maskHeight 53 (2
Page 192 and 193:
58Bronze tigerHeight 25.5 (10), wid
Page 195 and 196:
59Bronze fangding vesselHeight 97 (
Page 197 and 198:
6oBronze ding tripodHeight 62.4 (24
Page 199 and 200:
6iBronze yan steamerHeight 105 (41
Page 201 and 202:
2OOBRONZE ACE CHINA
Page 203 and 204:
63Bronze helmetHeight 18.7 (/Vs), w
Page 205 and 206:
64Bronze bo bellHeight 33 (13), wei
Page 207 and 208:
SACRIFICIAL PITSAT SANXINGDUI,GUANG
Page 210 and 211:
65Bronze standing figureHeight 262
Page 212 and 213:
6666sideBronze human head with gold
Page 214 and 215:
67213 I SACRIFICIAL PITS AT SANXINC
Page 216 and 217:
68215 I SACRIFICIAL PITS AT SANXINC
Page 218 and 219:
6969sideBronze mask with hooked-clo
Page 220 and 221:
masks, some of which are pieced at
Page 222 and 223:
7iBronze figure with headdressHeigh
Page 224 and 225:
73by strong modeling; the surface i
Page 226 and 227:
74Bronze lei vesselHeight 54 (21 y
Page 228 and 229:
227 I SACRIFICIAL PITS AT SANXINGDU
Page 230 and 231:
FIG. i. Remains of chariotsin the s
Page 232 and 233:
76Bronze ding tripod with five hand
Page 234 and 235:
Zhou bronzes, the motif is delibera
Page 236 and 237:
single head — or, alternatively,
Page 238 and 239:
(c. 1045 BCE) and was rewarded with
Page 240 and 241:
79these two neighboring families; o
Page 242 and 243:
8oFeng bronze zun vesselHeight 16.8
Page 244 and 245:
Reverent and illustrious was the St
Page 246 and 247:
245 I BRONZES FROM ZHUANCBAI
Page 248 and 249:
six animals climb its sides, and tw
Page 250:
body of the dead and his or her pos
Page 253 and 254:
85Jade pel pectoralLength c. 50 (19
Page 255 and 256:
86Jade pel pectoralLength c. 150 (5
Page 257 and 258:
256 I BRONZE ACE CHINA
Page 259 and 260:
88Hare-shaped bronze zun vesselHeig
Page 261 and 262:
8 9Bronze he vesselHe vessels of th
Page 263 and 264:
90Cylindrical bronze vessel with pe
Page 266:
CHU AND OTHER CULTURES
Page 269 and 270:
Cat. 95, detailcates the pervasiven
Page 271 and 272:
CHU TOMBS ATXIASI, XICHUAN,HENAN PR
Page 273 and 274:
9iChime of twenty-six bronze zhong
Page 275 and 276:
ful and am at ease and composed. I
Page 277 and 278:
cat. 105), numerous lacquered wood
Page 279 and 280:
92Bronze huoding tripod, pair of li
Page 281 and 282:
28O I CHU AND OTHER CULTURES
Page 283 and 284:
94Bronze dou vessel inlaid with tur
Page 285 and 286:
284 I CHU AND OTHER CULTURES
Page 288 and 289:
generally believed to have been one
Page 290 and 291:
traditionally associated with the h
Page 292 and 293:
97without lidFIG. i. Profile and cr
Page 294 and 295:
98Bronze filterHeight 88.5 (34 3 /
Page 296 and 297:
scribed with the name of King Yichu
Page 298 and 299:
to hold the wings, and a crown of d
Page 300 and 301:
1O1Bronze drum standHeight 54 (2i l
Page 302 and 303:
1O2Bronze triple ji halberdLength (
Page 304 and 305:
104Two bronze mat weightsHeight 8.0
Page 306 and 307:
than hammered from sheets, the conv
Page 308 and 309:
in common use in the central plains
Page 310 and 311:
advances in joinery techniques, gav
Page 312 and 313:
complement on the left is portrayed
Page 314 and 315:
FIG. i. Cat. 108: profile;lid and h
Page 316 and 317:
315 I CHU LACQUERS FROM HUBEI
Page 318 and 319:
and secured within the wooden frame
Page 320 and 321:
mbunusual arrangement executed with
Page 322 and 323:
FIG. i. Brocade bandssecuring the w
Page 324 and 325:
1123detail112a. Embroidered luo gau
Page 326 and 327:
FIG. i. Weave structureof four cros
Page 328 and 329:
FIG. 2. Drawing of woodfigure cloth
Page 330 and 331:
TOMB 2 ATBAOSHAN,JINGMEN,HUBEI PROV
Page 332 and 333:
ii3Painted lacquer coffinHeight 45
Page 334 and 335:
behind the bird-over-dragon scheme
Page 336 and 337:
ii4Lacquer cabinet and vesselsHeigh
Page 338 and 339:
FIG. i. Bronze zun inlaidwith lacqu
Page 340 and 341:
BRONZE EJUN Ql)IE TALLY FROMQIUJIAH
Page 343 and 344:
FIG. i. Five joined talliesin cross
Page 345 and 346:
command the Jiyin [?] official Dao
Page 348 and 349:
FIG. 1. Painted lacquerbird with an
Page 350 and 351:
119Ten bamboo slipsLength 64-71 (25
Page 352 and 353:
Pan Cheng employed several turtle a
Page 354 and 355:
FIG. i. Conjectural reconstructiono
Page 356 and 357:
12OTwo bronze three-pronged objects
Page 358 and 359:
121Bronze winged mythical animal in
Page 360:
122Bronze mythical animal inlaid wi
Page 364 and 365:
The Grandeur of EmpiresEARLY IMPERI
Page 366 and 367:
of the First Emperor's army (cats.
Page 368 and 369:
forces symbolically defending the i
Page 370:
some precise metaphysical idea but
Page 373 and 374:
Cross section of one ofthe pits, sh
Page 376:
vidual physiognomies is not merely
Page 379 and 380:
The figure exemplifies the key styl
Page 382:
thigh, holds the arm of the crossbo
Page 385 and 386:
status during the Western Zhou peri
Page 387:
Excavation photograph ofPit i, with
Page 390 and 391:
Excavation photograph ofDou Wans ja
Page 392 and 393:
11 R12FIG. i. Schematic drawingof t
Page 394 and 395:
130earlier face coverings. Liu Shen
Page 396 and 397:
FIG. i. The top, underside,and two
Page 398 and 399:
fierce creatures." In western regio
Page 400 and 401:
that splays outward to a domed lid
Page 402 and 403:
The pregnant female figure, however
Page 404 and 405:
to Mount Kunlun, a peak that reache
Page 406 and 407:
hands of servants or immortals and
Page 408 and 409:
FIG. i. Cat. 136 from above.After Z
Page 411 and 412:
THE TOMB OFTHE KING OFNANYUE ATXIAN
Page 413 and 414:
Indeed, the contents and constructi
Page 415 and 416:
414 I EARLY IMPERIAL CHINA
Page 417 and 418:
stronger state to the north. His ja
Page 419 and 420:
141Jade pei ornament with dragonand
Page 421 and 422:
142Jade monster mask with bi diskHe
Page 423 and 424:
H3Jade belt hookHeight 6.2 (2 ! / 2
Page 425 and 426:
The second ring is also an unusual
Page 427 and 428:
146Jade dancing figureHeight 3.5 (i
Page 429 and 430:
H7Jade boxHeight 7.7 (3'A), diam. 9
Page 431 and 432:
148Jade beaker with bronze basin st
Page 433 and 434:
149Bronze mounted jade cupHeight 14
Page 435 and 436:
1503150Three gilt bronze fittings f
Page 437 and 438:
150cdetail
Page 439 and 440:
BUDDHISTSCULPTURE FROMMONASTERYSITE
Page 442 and 443:
i5iPainted stone standing Buddhawit
Page 444:
first using a white base, then fles
Page 447 and 448:
usnisa—the seat of his transcende
Page 450 and 451:
terminating in an elegant pattern,
Page 452 and 453:
their bronze vessels, abandoned Cha
Page 454 and 455:
155Parcel-gilt silver pan dish with
Page 456 and 457:
cal examples of Tang decorative tre
Page 458 and 459:
tongue the other; four rectangular
Page 460 and 461:
stone survives on one of the ducks
Page 462 and 463:
tions. Empress Wu Zetian entertaine
Page 464 and 465:
The Famen Monasterypagoda prior to
Page 466 and 467:
i6oParcel-gilt silver khakkhara (mo
Page 468 and 469:
467 I FAMEN MONASTERY AT FUFENC
Page 470 and 471:
pies, such as the Famen Monastery's
Page 472 and 473:
just 11.8 by 8.4 centimeters — co
Page 474 and 475:
generally bowl-shaped, with a cover
Page 476 and 477: 164Parcel-gilt silver casket with t
Page 478 and 479: Like the scenes on the side, these
Page 480 and 481: links the cover to the handle. Side
Page 482 and 483: The principle of its construction,
Page 484 and 485: circles of spur marks, fourteen in
Page 486 and 487: at Dunhuang (Gansu province), a key
Page 488 and 489: 487 I FAMEN MONASTERY AT FUFENC
Page 490 and 491: The great cosmopolitan city of Xi'a
Page 492 and 493: tend to be somewhat less freely scu
Page 495: 1/1A group of five painted pottery
Page 499 and 500: 1/2A group of twelve painted potter
Page 502: 173A group of six painted pottery f
Page 506 and 507: over the intervening decades the el
Page 508 and 509: South wall and ceiling ofthe antero
Page 510 and 511: J/4Painted marble relief of attenda
Page 512 and 513: V4175Painted marble relief of music
Page 514: the better-known developments in th
Page 517 and 518: AfterwordSU BAI | Most of the treas
Page 520 and 521: New Understandings of Chinese Prehi
Page 522 and 523: the relationship and chronology of
Page 524 and 525: Objects in this exhibition from the
Page 526: remains an issue, most scholars hav
Page 531 and 532: culture at Yinxu and thus the late
Page 533 and 534: tionship between the Shang and the
Page 535 and 536: ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE DISTANT REGIONST
Page 538 and 539: Issues Concerning the Formation, De
Page 540 and 541: of the Shang. 7 The Shi ji (Records
Page 542 and 543: state, although they were regarded
Page 544 and 545: The Chu absorbed elements of other
Page 546 and 547: Several other discoveries testify t
Page 548: 1 Karlbeck 1926.2 ¥019853,262-269.
Page 551 and 552: acter, ao ("concave" or "sunken"),
Page 553 and 554: Yuan (the Emperor Gaozu of the Tang
Page 555 and 556: the tunnel outside the stone door o
Page 557 and 558: ConcordanceCHINESE TEXTSBai Qi zhua
Page 559 and 560: MiaodigouMiaopingMinheMogaokuMopan
Page 561 and 562: Empress TaimuEmpress WuEpang (Afang
Page 563 and 564: wuren dongwu wenWushier bingfangYao
Page 565 and 566: BibliographyAllan 1991. Allan, Sara
Page 567 and 568: Zhou Studies, A Review Article,"Ear
Page 569 and 570: Zhongguo lishixue nianjian (1979)(1
Page 571 and 572: Liang and Gao 1968. Liang Siyongand
Page 573 and 574: Reischauer 1955. Reischauer, EdwinO
Page 575 and 576: Pierre, and C.C. Young. "On theMamm
Page 577 and 578:
Xia and Wang 1986. Xia Nai andWang
Page 579 and 580:
shisi niandai shujuji 1965 - 1991.B
Page 581 and 582:
IndexNote: Catalogue numbers are in
Page 583 and 584:
Jian-fou cooler and ladle, [97] 290
Page 585:
Yaoshan, Yuhang, Zhejiangprovince,
show all

CHINA ARQUEOLOGIA golden-age-chinese-archayeolog

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?