kaguxuebao2005-1

KaoguXuebao 05-1

THE SECONDARY EXCAVATION OF THE HUACHENGGANG SITE IN ANXIANG COUNTY, HUNAN

Hunan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
Changde Municipal Department of Cultural Relics
and
Anxiang County Office for the Preservation of Ancient Monuments

The Huachenggang site dated going back to 6800－4000BP is a very important Neolithic site in the Dongting Lake area. The secondary excavation there brought to light not only remains of the Tangjiagang culture for the first time, but also those of the Daxi, Qujialing and Shijiahe cultures that belong to three successive periods. The discovery provides new data for research into the middle to late Neolithic cultural sequence in this area. In particular, it offers solid examples and stratigraphic evidence on the demarcations between the Tangjiagang, Daxi and Qujialing cultures. At the same time, as a dwelling place functioning for several millennia, the site afforded various kinds of information for comprehensively studying a lot of academic issues, such as the evolution of ancient environments and settlements. Furthermore, the great amount of exquisite white pottery and painted pottery unearthed from the site furnish rich material data to exploring the origin and development of these pottery wares in the middle Yangtze River valley, as well as for inquiring into and the religious art and aesthetic interest in prehistoric times.

A DISCUSSION ON THE TWO-SYSTEM THEORY FOR THE DATING OF WESTERN ZHOU BRONZES
by
Zhang Maorong

In the light of the rule that “the Zhou people were not named for the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, nor did they use clan insignia in their bronze inscriptions,” the present paper divides Western Zhou bronzes into the Shang and the Zhou systems. The former was produced in the eastern states/clans where the survivals from the Shang Dynasty lived as the main body while the latter was made in the western states/clans with the main body consisting of the Jizhou aristocrats. The author explains that the two systems of bronzes, even those of the same period, show differences in form, pattern and inscription. Just owing to lack of deep knowledge on this point, there occurred mistakes in the dating of Western Zhou bronzes, particularly for the early phase. Meanwhile the author explains that there exist certain limitations in the two-system theory.

A STUDY OF NORTHERN ZHOU PERIOD TOMB FIGURINES
by
Ni Run’an
 
Based on a typological analysis of Northern Zhou period tomb figurines, the present paper divides them into the “old style” and “new style” according to their temporal sequence. The author points out that the replacement was a “rapid change”. As a result, he divides them into the “old style” prevailing, transitional and “new style” prevailing stages.
 The “old style” started from the Datong reign period of the Western Wei Dynasty. Its emergence closely related to the political, military and economic conditions of the founding of the western Wei dynasty. In order to unite the strength of the Beizhen and Guanlong regions for confrontation with the Eastern Wei and Southern Dynasties, Yuwen Tai advocated thrift, strengthened military forces, and developed cultural construction with the Guanlong culture as the core. In funeral custom, correspondingly, Xianbei ideology in Beizhen was combined with the local funeral mode in Guanlong and some practice of entombment in Northern Wei Luoyang. This resulted in the formation of the Western Wei style tomb figures represented by those from the Hou Yi tomb. Their features lasted to the earlier Northern Zhou period.
 In the earlier Jiande period of Northern Zhou Emperor Wudi, the new institution forcefully restored rites of the Han and Jin periods. The “old style” funeral figurines were replaced by the “new style” through a short transitional period. After the Northern Zhou conquered the Northern Qi, the Sinicization process was further deepened. The Northern Zhou funeral figurines absorbed some or alternatively other characteristics of Northern Qi ones. After the founding of the Sui Dynasty, Sui Emperor Wendi ordered to adopt Liang and Northern Qi ritual institutions and reject those of the Northern Zhou. Consequently, the place of Eastern Wei and Northern Qi tomb figurines was completely changed. They poured into the Guanzhong region on a large-scale and pounded at the Northern Zhou figurine style. Along with the diminution of the social power that the Northern Zhou ritual institution depended upon, funeral figures in the Northern Zhou style became lusterless and finally disappeared.

A MURAL TOMB OF THE XINMANG PERIOD AT YINTUN VILLAGE, YIYANG, LUOYANG
Second Luoyang Municipal Archaeological Team
During March 2003, the Second Luoyang Municipal Archaeological Team excavated a large-sized mural tomb of the Xinmang period at Yintun village southwest of Luoyang proper. Both the tomb structure and the murals have important academic and artistic value.
This is a brick tomb with a dome and multiple chambers. Due to several serious robberies, the funeral objects discovered this time have all been broken. The identifiable types include pottery, stone and bone wares, bronze horse-and-chariot fittings, and coins.
The murals are mostly painted in the upper part of the middle and rear chambers. In the middle chamber, the main pictures foiled with painted columns, lintels and bracket systems and separated by columns into several blocks according to their contents. They represent clouds, the sun, the moon and constellations, gods, immortals, anthropomorphic beings and fantastic animals, the Green Dragon and White Tiger, etc.. In the rear chamber the paintings are mainly dense scroll-like clouds with phoenixes’ heads and floral patterns scattered among them.
In subject, composition and representing skill, these murals are rather different from the wall paintings previously discovered in contemporary tombs across the Luoyang area. However, in painting style they are similar to their counterparts found at Jinguyuan, Luoyang and Xincun, Yanshi. These phenomena represent the transition from the Western Han and the Eastern Han. Thus the excavation of the Yintun mural tomb provides new and important data for research into the artistic features and composition style of paintings, the structure of buildings, the ideology of society and the concepts of celestial bodies in the Xinmang period.