Kaoguxuebao 2008-2

 

Main Contents and Abstract

 

 

Chen Guoqing,

On the Zhaobaogou Culture -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------( 121 )

Cao Nan,

A Study of the Handle-shaped Jades from the Three Dynasties Period ------------------------------------( 141 )

Peng Yushang,

A Study of Basins, Zhan Covered Small Basins and Dui Spherical Vessels in the Eastern Zhou Period

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------( 175 )

Jiang Xiaochun,

Periodization of the Qin and Han Tombs Recorded in the Three Gorges Area ----------------------------( 195 )

Xintai Municipal Office for the Preservation of Ancient Monuments and Nangong Municipal Office for the

Preservation of Ancient Monuments,

Bronze Statues of the  Dynasty  in the  Putong Pagoda within  Nangong, Xingta i---------------- ( 253 )

 

 

 

ON THE ZHAOBAOGOU CULTURE

 

by

Chen Guoqing

 

Since the establishment of the Zhaobaogou culture in the early 1980s, scholars have made deep-going researches from various angles of view on its distribution, attribution, periodization, type division and origin, and have obtained some important results. But distinct divergence of opinions still remains in the understanding of a few problems. Especially on the periodization of the culture, although some studies made meticulous discussion, as the authors based their conclusions on the then limited archaeological data, their periodization versions have became unable to cover the whole cultural complex known at the present. Besides, some theses offered only rough or conclusive ideas or those merely fit for the region south of the Yanshan Mountains.

As new archaeological findings are published one after another, the previolus viewpoints on the Zhaobaogou culture should be restudied and re-understood so as to get new advances in relevant researches. Based on an analysis of its important remains, the present paper divides the culture into five phases. The earlier two phases are known mainly in the region south of the Yanshan Mountains, whereas the remains of the later three stages are recorded to the   north of the mountains. The former region must have been the principal birthplace of the culture. The five phases are integrated into the inseparable whole of an archaeological culture, and the diversities between these groups of remains were formed in different developmental stages of the same culture, so it is not proper to divide the Zhaobaogou complex into several archaeological cultures or cultural types.

 

  A STUDY OF THE HANDLE-SHAPED JADES FROM

THE THREE DYNASTIES PERIOD

 

by

Cao Nan

The handle-shaped jades constitute one of the largest groups among the jade and other precious stone artifacts unearthed from vestiges of the Three Dynasties period. They look like a flat, narrow rectangle with a thin, short, sometimes perforated tenon at the lower end. As their use is not clear, they are named after the handle-like form, though some pieces are not in the shape of a handle and their assignment to this category is conventional. Recently this class of article has been unearthed in a great quantity through archaeological work, which allow the author to make a typological research on these objects and to discuss their evolution, distribution, naming, function, using way, making technique and origin on the basis of sorting out the relevant archaeological data already published.

Handle-shaped jades made their first appearance in the Xia period, increased in the Shang, and became multiform in the Western Zhou. The unearthed examples from the Three Dynasties period can be divided into six types according to the variety of their shape and decoration. Of them Types A, B and C existed from the Xia to the Western Zhou, with changes reflected only in the continuous increase of number and the multiplication of motifs, while Types D, E and F came into being as late as the Western Zhou. The localities of their provenance are concentrated in the central zones of the capital areas, such as the Erlitou site of the Xia, the Erligang and Yinxu sites of the Shang, and the Feng-Hao site and Luoyang area of the Western Zhou. In function, these articles were used as ritual objects in various ceremonies, being held in the hand, worn on the breast, and hung at the waist. Their material is jade alone, and no pottery, bronze and iron artifacts have been found. The making technique featured standardization in the Xia and Shang, and pursued gorgeousness in the Western Zhou to produce stronger ritual character. A to their source and development, they must have originated from Neolithic jade scepters, and sharply decreased in number and almost entirely vanished in the Spring and Autumn period. 

 

A STUDY OF BASINS, ZHAN COVERED SMALL BASINS AND DUI SPHERICAL VESSELS IN THE EASTERN ZHOU PERIOD

 

by

Peng Yushang

 

The basin, zhan coverd small basin and dui semi-spherical-bodied and -covered vessel were the most popular vessel types in the Eastern Zhou period. Over a long period of time, scholars have made deep-going studies on various aspects of these objects and have got a lot of results. But so far no unanimous understanding has been reached among the researchers, and further study is undoubtedly necessary. Based on the already obtained achievements, the present paper makes an all-round research on these vessel types. Firstly, it discusses their interrelationships, studies their evolutionary lines, and points out that they formed a successive sequence in the Eastern Zhou. Next, it makes a typological division of these types and deals with the periods of prevalence of the subtypes. Finally, it investigates the names of these types in different areas and the regions of their prevalence.

 

PERIODIZATION OF THE QIN AND HAN TOMBS RECORDED

IN THE THREE GORGES AREA

 

by

Jiang Xiaochun

 

The chronological study of Qin and Han tombs has obtained great achievements in terms of the Central Plains, Guangzhou, Hubei and Hunan, but in the other regions that account for the most of China’s territory, it has been rather weak up to the present. In the Three Gorges area, although recently Qin and Han tombs have been discovered batch after batch in archaeology, still the chronological research on this category of remains has made little advance, which hinders the deepening of the whole study to a certain extent.

By December 2004, archaeologists have published the reports of about 400 Qin and Han tombs in the Three Gorges area, which yielded approximately 5,000 pieces (or sets) cultural relics. These burials are widely varied in form, and their funeral objects are multiple in type, which provide necessary material basis for the chronological research on the Three Gorges tombs of the Qin and Han periods.

A typological analysis of the tomb forms and their funeral objects suggests that the graves can be divided into four phases and, for the third and fourth respectively, three sub-phases. According to dating data and the results of the typological analysis, these phases and sub-phases can be dated as follows: Phase I, round the Qin Dynasty. Phases II, early Western Han, corresponding roughly to the Wendi, Jingdi and earlier Wudi reigns. In the third phase, sub-phase 1, mid Western Han, roughly to the later Wudi, Zhaodi and Xuandi reigns; Sub-phase 2, late Western Han, roughly to the Yuandi, Chengdi, Aidi and Pingdi reigns; and Sub-phase 3, from the Xinmang period to the early Eastern Han. In the fourth phase, Sub-phase 1, the early Eastern Han, roughly to the later Guangwudi and Mingdi reigns; Sub-phase 2, mid Eastern Han, roughly to the Zhangdi to the Shundi reigns; and Sub-phase 3, late Eastern Han, rough to the Huandi, Lingdi and Xiandi reigns.

 

BRONZE STATUES OF THE MING DYNASTY IN THE

 

 PUTONG PAGODA WITHIN NANGONG, XINGTAI

 

Xintai Municipal Office for the Preservation of Ancient Monuments

and

Nangong Municipal Office for the Preservation of Ancient Monuments

 

The Putong Pagoda lies 1.5 km northwest of Nangong City in Xingtai, Hebei, 200 m northeast of the former city, and was in the former Putong Temple. Distinctive in architectural style, it is a nine-story solid octagonal brick tower with a rather massive foundation built above a well. The first and second stories are furnished with false windows on the western and eastern sides; the first to fourth stories, with shrines on the northern and southern sides; and for the fifth story and above, such shrines are made on all the four sides. The pagoda was built on the tenth year, the Emperor Mingdi’s reign, Han Dynasty, rebuilt by monk Hai Gong in the fourth year, the Emperor Wenzong’s Taihe reign, Tang Dynasty, and was added with an iron finial in the shape of a rod erected from an upward lotus flower when repaired in the Jiajing reign, Ming Dynasty. In the earthquake of 1966 in Xingtai, three bronze statuses of Avalokitesvara fell down from the padoga top; and in 1990, when the fourth story and above were completely rebuilt, 39 bronze statuses were discovered in shrines of the tower. These 42 images share roughly the same shape, style, casting technology and inscription-engraving technique; and most of them have a regular face and a well-proportioned figure wearing smooth-creased dress and showing skillful workmanship, though some have a slightly exaggerated head and a corpulent body. The Bodhisattvas have cast off the previous style of depicting a slender waist and full breasts; they are represented well in proportion with a charming but still dignified posture. The highest statue measures 58 cm, while the shortest 15 cm. 14 works bear inscriptions, including six pieces with the dates of 15^th day, seventh, eighth, ninth or tenth moon, 15^th Jiajing year. The other inscriptions contain detailed records on the donors’ native places (villages, counties, districts and prefectures) and teachers, and also the producing area (Jizhou District) and makers (Liu Huai and Liu Rong) in some cases. Bodhisattva No. 6 is inscribed with the words that the Putong Pagoda was first built on the 15^th day, first moon, Mingdi’s Yongping reign, Eastern Han Dynasty, and rebuilt by monk Hai Gong in the fourth year, Wenzong’s Taihe reign, Tang Dynasty. The statues reveal very important information of regional culture, provuding not only reliable data on the rural history of the Nangong area and the development of Buddhism in the region, but also evidence on bronze casting and statue-making technology in Jizhou District of the Ming period, and the definitely-dated statues furnished invaluable material for the dating of Buddhist bronze images.