Several Pieces of Northern Wei stone foundations have been discovered in Datong in recent years
Cultural Relics, No. 04, 1998, Zhang Li (Librarian, Datong Museum)
Datong, Shanxi, or Northern Wei Pingcheng, was the capital of the early Northern Wei Dynasty, and for nearly a hundred years from 398 to 494 AD, it has been the political, economic and cultural center of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and important architectural sites and tombs of the Northern Wei Period have been discovered many times. In recent years, the Datong City Museum has newly collected several exquisitely carved Northern Wei stone carvings, which are introduced as follows.
Dragon Lotus Stone Foundation (Color Insert 2:1)
Excavated in 1986 in the Northern Wei tombs on the South Third Ring Road in Datong City, a total of 3 pieces were produced, all of the same shape and size. Drum-shaped raspberry-shaped, square base. The uppermost pillar hole is surrounded by a plain face, with an outer relief of a lotus flower, and four dragon mouth curls on the abdomen. The four corners and sides of the base are carved with curly grass. The stone foundation is 10.5 cm high, the square seat side is 25 cm long, and the column aperture is 7 cm. From the perspective of size and shape, it is the same as the stone foundation of the screen of the tomb of Sima Jinlong of the Northern Wei Dynasty in the famous Datong, and it is the base of the interstitial screen (and the possibility of the seat of the indoor account structure is not excluded), and there should have been 4 pieces.
Dragon Lotus Eagle Catching Snake Stone Foundation (Color Insert 2:2)
Excavated in 1989 in the Cao Fu Lou Sand Field in the East of the Royal River, 1 piece. Drum-shaped raspberry-shaped, square base. The perimeter of the pillar is decorated with a circle of beads, next to the relief carved large lotus petals, the abdomen is full of carved two dragons, the dragon body is decorated with scales, and the seat is surrounded by carved curly grass patterns. On the four corners of the pedestal, four animal shapes are carved out of the eagle catching snake, squatting monkey, lying lion and ambush tiger, which are vivid and realistic and full of interest. The stone foundation is 9.4 cm high, the seat side length is 18.9 cm, and the column aperture is 2.8 cm. This stone foundation is extremely delicate and chic, and it is the most compact and exquisite of its kind that Datong has found. According to years of archaeological excavations in the Datong area, the excavation of this piece of dragon lotus eagle catching snake stone foundation area was originally a burial area for northern Wei nobles and bureaucratic upper-class figures, and the famous Northern Wei official Shangshu Sima Jinlong tomb and the pingcheng town general Yuanshu tomb were not more than a few miles away from the Cao FuLou sand field. Therefore, this stone foundation should also belong to the upper echelons of the Northern Wei Dynasty, although only one piece is produced, it may be related to the changes of the times and human disturbances. Its nature should also be that of a screen or accounting base.
The stone foundations found in the above two places are analyzed and analogous, and they are works of the late Pingcheng period of the Northern Wei Dynasty (about 20 years before Emperor Xiaowen moved to Luoyang). At this time, at the peak of the Northern Wei Dynasty' state and economic prosperity, the Palace City building was greatly developed, and the majestic and magnificent Yungang Grottoes were also carved during this period. Although the volume of several batches of stone foundations found in Datong is small, the level of craftsmanship is superb, reflecting the achievements of stone carving and modeling art that was quite mature and developed at that time, and is a valuable physical material for studying the material culture of the Northern Wei Dynasty.
