According to the classification of functions, bronze ware can be divided into cooking vessels, food containers, wine vessels, water vessels, musical instruments, weapons, chariots and horses, tools, miscellaneous utensils, etc., with various types and shapes.
Cooker
Ding, has its own name, the original name is Ding. "Shuowen Jie Zi" introduces: "Ding, three-legged, two-eared, and the treasure of five flavors". Generally, it is a three-legged and two-eared round tripod, and there are also four-legged square tripods. Ding is the most common bronze ware in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and after the early and middle Western Zhou Dynasty, it became the core type of bronze ware together with Gui. Judging from the heirloom books and unearthed documents, the tripod is one of the most important ritual vessels in the ceremonial activities such as aristocratic banquets and sacrifices. In addition, the tripod is often understood as a symbol of royal power, and the story of King Chuzhuang's victory in the Central Plains is recorded in the "Zuo Chuan Xuangong Three Years", indicating the special status of the tripod in ancient society. There are many soot at the bottom of the tripod found by archaeology, so it is a cooking utensil, which is generally used for cooking meat. The square tripod and the large round tripod occupy an important position in the bronze ritual vessels, and generally come from the tombs of nobles of relatively high rank.
Shu Yu Fang Ding
Early Western Zhou Dynasty
Tianma-Qucun Jinhou cemetery M114 unearthed
Collection of the M. M. Sackler Museum of Archaeology and Art, Peking University
ding
Early Commercial Period
The site of Pinglu Qianzhuang was unearthed
Collection of Shanxi Museum
Feng-ding-hsien
Late Shang Dynasty
Wenxi wine head unearthed
Collection of Shanxi Museum
鬲 (lì), has its own name, and its original name is 鬲. Like Ding, the mustache is also commonly seen in smoking, and it is also a cooker, and it is generally used to cook meat, but those who call themselves "齍鬲" may also be used to cook grain. "Erya Shiqi" cloud: "The foot is called the mustache", the shape of the mustache is roughly similar to the tripod, making a round three-legged, but the characteristics of the foot and abdomen are different, and there are often bulging three-legged. Mr. Su Bingqi pointed out that the difference between the mustache and the tripod is actually the difference in the shape of the gastropod, and the tripod can be divided into two parts: the abdomen and the foot, but the mustache is not easy to separate. Most of the bronze mustaches call themselves "鬲", or "Ding".
鬲
Early Western Zhou Dynasty
M6195 was unearthed in the Tianma-Qucun cemetery
Collection of the M. M. Sackler Museum of Archaeology and Art, Peking University
甗 (yǎn), self-named "dedication", the same as 甗, the name is correct. From the point of view of the shape of the instrument, the upper part is a retort, the lower part is a mustache (a very small number of lower parts are in the form of a square seat, etc.), which are divided into two kinds: conjoined and split, and there are many grates separated by grates in the middle, and there are many perforations in the shape of crosses and straight lines on the grate to vent steam. It is used for steaming, holding water, placing food in the retort, raising the fire to boil water, steaming food with steam, and acting the same as the current steamer.
Conjoined hemandrium
Early Spring and Autumn Period
M8 was unearthed in the Xiguan cemetery in Licheng
Licheng County Museum Collection
Serving utensils
簋 (guǐ), self-named
Since the Song Dynasty, it has been misinterpreted as "Dun" for a long time, and in 1935, Rong Geng's "Shang and Zhou Yi Instrument General Examination" was confirmed to be "Gui". Zheng Xuan's note in "Zhou Li": "Fang is said to be 簠, and Yuan is said to be 簋." Rice grainware". The mouth of the vessel is generally round, and its function is to hold grain. After the early and middle period of the Western Zhou Dynasty, it was often matched with the tripod and became the core combination of bronze ware. The shape is more diverse, the basic characteristics are a hollow abdomen, a ring foot or three legs, more than two ears, some have a cover, and a very few of the mouth is square.
簋
Early Western Zhou Dynasty
M6195 was unearthed in the Tianma-Qucun cemetery
Collection of the M. M. Sackler Museum of Archaeology and Art, Peking University
夺簋
Late Western Zhou Dynasty
Excavation of M3 at the North White Cemetery
Collection of Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology
盨 (xǔ), some of them call themselves "簋", which shows that the name is correct, and some of them call themselves "簋" or "盨簋", indicating that they are roughly the same as 簋, and they are all food containers. The shape is close to that of a gui, but the whole body is rectangular with rounded corners and a lid. It is mainly prevalent in the middle and late Western Zhou Dynasty. Mr. Li Ling once pointed out that the Xuan evolved from the Fangding with a lid. The top of the lid has a four-rectangular ruler or ring button, or a circle-foot-shaped catcher, and the abdomen has two ears. There are many hoop feet at the bottom of the bowl, or there are four small feet.
The Marquis of Jin is against the Xuan
Late Western Zhou Dynasty
M1 was unearthed in the cemetery of the Marquis of Northern Zhao and Jin
Lost in Hong Kong, it was repurchased in 1992 and is now in the collection of the Shanghai Museum
簠 (fǔ), in fact, its own name is "Hu", not called 簠, but the old interpretation has become very popular, so it has to be used out of habit. However, Zheng Xuan of "Zhou Li" notes: "Fang said Yan, Yuan said Gui." "Rice grain vessels" are quite in line with the shape and function of Hu. The basic shape is a rectangular vessel, the shape of the lid and the body are bucket-shaped, the size is the same, the top and bottom are symmetrical, and they are integrated, and there are many ears on both sides. The epidemic time was from the late Western Zhou Dynasty to the end of the Warring States period.
簠
Early Warring States period
M26 was unearthed in the Eastern Zhou cemetery of the Changzhi watershed
Collection of Changzhi City Museum
Dun (often pronounced duì), self-named work
, the sound is the same as "Dun", and the shape function is also in line with the literature, so the name is correct. "The Book of Rites: Internal Rules" Zheng Note: "Dun, Mu Huang Ji Ware also", the function is a food container. There are two kinds of shapes, one is the round bottom of the dun, the lid and the body are hemispherical, and they form a spherical shape when they are put together. The body is more than three legs or three rings, and the lid is mostly three rings. The other is the flat-bottomed dun, the lid and the bottom of the apparatus are relatively flat, the lid is flat, the plane is round, the bottom of the apparatus is either flat-bottomed, or there is a circle foot, or there are three legs, this kind of dun is often called "lamp".
Rounddon
Early Warring States period
Changzhi watershed M25 unearthed
Collection of Changzhi City Museum
Flatton
Early Warring States period
Changzhi watershed M26 unearthed
Collection of Changzhi City Museum
Beans, with their own names, were originally called "beans". The shape is like a high-foot plate, the abdomen is like a plate, and the abdomen is connected to the handle. According to the records of "Zhou Li, Tianguan, and Gongren", it is generally used to hold meat sauce, gravy, pickles and other foods, but from the word "烝" from the beans and grass, it can also be used to hold rice such as millet and millet grass. There is a type of bronze ware called "shop", which is basically the same shape as the bean, except that the plate is shallower and the handle is hollow. Shop, some people think it is "笾", holding dried fruits, dried meat, some people think it is "簠", serving rice.
Wrong gold and silver cover beans
The turn of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period
Changzhi watershed M126 unearthed
Collection of Shanxi Museum
drinking vessel
Jue, with few self-names, is close to the "Jue" in the oracle bone inscription, but it is not quite the same as the "Jue" in the small seal. The name was given by Song Confucianism, and some scholars have recently suspected that its original name was not called "Jue". The shape is characterized by a deep cylindrical abdomen, a long mouth flow for pouring liquid in front of the mouth edge, referred to as "flow", and a pointed "tail" at the back, and two "columns" stand on the mouth edge near the mouth edge or on the side of the flow; there is a handle on the side of the abdomen, commonly known as "鋬", and there are three legs under the abdomen. According to the Shuowen, Jue is "a drinker like a bird", "there is a wine in it, and it is also persistent", and it is a drinking vessel, but judging from its shape and the common soot on the abdomen, it should be a wine warmer. There is another kind of utensils that are also called "Jue", which is shaped like a bucket spoon with a handle and a ring foot, which can scoop wine and pour wine, which is probably the "Jue" mentioned in "Shuowen".
Jue
Erlitou culture
Yuncheng Xia County Peijie Town Yuan Village unearthed
Collection of Yuncheng Museum
斝 (jiǎ), named by the Song people, does not see its own name, but its appearance is close to the "斝" in the oracle bone inscription, and there is a basis for the name. The shape is similar to that of Jue, all of them have three legs and one sword, open mouth, and two pillars at the mouth. It is different from Jue in that it has no flow and no tail, the mouth is round, and the shape is larger than that of the ordinary Jue. There are many traces of soot at the bottom of the archaeological vessels, and like Jue, they also belong to wine warmers.
斝
Late Shang Dynasty
Wenxi wine head unearthed
Collection of Shanxi Museum
觚 (gū), named by the Song people, the "gob" in the literature is a jue with a volume two or three times larger than the average jue, and has nothing to do with this type of artifact. Recently, the inner history of Bo "Yao" called itself "Tong", and it can be known that the original name was "Tong", like the section of a bamboo tube. It's just that its old name "Yao" is very popular and can only continue to be used. The basic shape is a long cylindrical body, a large flared mouth, and a slope-like high hoop foot. In archaeological discoveries, jue and yao often appear in combination, proving that their function is related to jue, probably used to hold wine or drink. There is also a copper-wood composite material, often co-produced with a shank-shaped device, which is probably used to shrink (filter) wine.
觚
Late Shang period
Wenxi wine head M1 unearthed
Collection of Shanxi Museum
觯 (zhì), named by the Song people. Looking at its shape, it seems to be inconsistent with the "觯" in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty Book of Rites. Chang'an Garden Village M17 from his father Xin Jing, his self-name from "鬯" from "owed", to be examined. What is the original name of "觯" and what its function is still to be verified. The general shape is open, partially covered, corseted neck, deep bulging abdomen, abdominal diameter slightly larger than or close to the caliber, and a higher hoop foot below. It is common for some to call themselves "drinking pots", perhaps "small common names" rather than the names of such utensils, but it is clear that such utensils are drinking vessels.
觯
Early Western Zhou Dynasty
Tianma-Qucun cemetery M6210 unearthed
Collection of the M. M. Sackler Museum of Archaeology and Art, Peking University
卮 (zhī), also used to be called
The cross-section of the abdomen and the mouth are oval, the abdomen is deeper, the upper abdomen on the two long sides has more annular ears, the abdomen is flat-bottomed, and there are also ring-footed or quadruped bottoms at the bottom of the abdomen. The shape and size of the vessel are similar to those of the ear cup, the shape is small, and there are many double ringed ears, which has the characteristics of a drinking vessel.
Wrong gold and silver
Early Warring States period
M12 was unearthed in the cemetery of the Changzhi watershed
Collection of Shanxi Museum
Zun, the "zun" in the book of rites is a general term for wine vessels, and it is not clear what the original name of this utensil, which is now customarily called "zun". The shape is characterized by a large open mouth, a thick and bulging abdomen, and a high hoop foot. According to the characteristics of the shoulder, it can be further divided into folded shoulder and barrel-shaped. Judging from the shape, size and combination, it is probably a wine container. In addition, the original name of the animal-shaped bronze is also commonly called "Zun", or "Sacrifice Zun", and its original name is not clear.
respect
Early Western Zhou Dynasty
Tianma-Qucun Jinhou cemetery M114 unearthed
Collection of the M. M. Sackler Museum of Archaeology and Art, Peking University
Inoson
Early Western Zhou Dynasty
Tianma-Qucun Jinhou cemetery M113 unearthed
Collection of Shanxi Museum
觥 (gōng), which does not have its own name, is pointed out in Wang Guowei's "Shuo 觥" that it is close to the form and function of "觥" in the handed down documents, and can be discussed again. The general shape is: oval abdomen, ring-footed or quadruped, with a short stream in front and a semi-annular in the back, with a cover, and the cover is made in the shape of a horned beast. It has been found that there is a picker bucket in the house, which can prove that the function of the cup is a wine container.
Dragon-shaped
Late Shang Dynasty
Shilou Peach Blossom Village was unearthed
Collection of Shanxi Museum
Fang Yi, no self-name, is customary naming. It looks like a house. The general shape is a square abdomen, with ribs at the corners and waist, and square circles. Fang Yi has a cover, the cover is in the shape of a four-A roof, and the cover button is also in the shape of a roof. Some of the square Yi have small holes in the lid that can be used to put the bucket. The bucket is a wine scooping vessel, so Fang Yi is probably used to hold wine.
Fang Yi
Late Shang Dynasty
Wenxi wine head unearthed
Collection of Shanxi Museum
卣 (yǒu), no self-name, the shape is very different from the "卣" in the ancient characters, the original name should not be 卣. Some people think that 卣 is a pot, which can be considered. The general shape is oval in cross-section, with a large abdomen, a rounded abdominal wall, intracted upwards into a mouth, a handle on the side of the neck, a cover on the top, and a ring foot below. The inscription on Shu Qi's father refers to himself as "Yu Yi", indicating that the utensils now called "卣" are containers for Yu Hu (fragrant wine).
卣
Early Western Zhou Dynasty
Excavation of Tsubashiro Estuary Cemetery M1
Collection of Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology
The pot is called "pot", and the name is correct. The general shape is characterized by a long or long neck, a straight or slightly extravagant mouth, a deep bulging abdomen, a ring foot attached to the bottom, and many covers. Bronze pots often have their own names, such as "Yu Pot" and "Liju Pot", which proves that its function is mainly as a wine container. However, there are also people who call themselves "pots", indicating that the pots may also have been used as water vessels.
Marquis of Jin
壶
Western Zhou
Tianma-Qucun Jinhou cemetery M8 was unearthed
Collection of Shanxi Museum
罍 (léi), which is divided into two types. A kind of self-name is Wei, its general shape is characterized by a mouth, folded shoulders or round shoulders, the largest diameter of the abdomen is at the junction of the bottom of the shoulder and the upper part, the abdomen is obliquely closed downward, and there are many circle feet. With ears on both shoulders and an intentional nose on the abdomen, the purpose of this design is presumably to facilitate rope traction and pouring of liquor. "The Book of Poetry: Zhou Nan" said: "I will take care of the gold and the gold", it can be seen that the wine is a large wine container. Another genus is customarily named, the shape is a large mouth folded shoulder, oblique bulging belly, high circle foot, popular in the early and middle Shang period, similar to the function of Zun, is a wine container.
罍
Early Commercial Period
Yuncheng Pinglu Qianzhuang unearthed
Collection of Shanxi Museum
The bucket is composed of a cup-shaped bucket head and a strip-shaped bucket handle, the bucket handle is connected to the waist of the bucket head, and the bucket handle is mostly zigzag. The bucket found by archaeology has been unearthed in the wine vessels such as Zun, Fang Yi, Ji and Gong, and it can be seen that its function is to pour wine vessels.
Doo
Early Western Zhou Dynasty
Tianma-Qucun cemetery M6210 unearthed
Collection of the M. M. Sackler Museum of Archaeology and Art, Peking University
Water dispenser
Disk, self-named "disk", named correctly. The basic shape is a large mouth, the mouth edge is flat, the abdomen is shallow, and the body is flattened, similar to the plate used today. Pan ears or not, Shang to the Spring and Autumn Plate more circle foot, after the Warring States period to go to the circle foot. There is a self-named "cup" in the bronze plate, and the "Book of Rites" contains "enter the plate, the few serve the plate, the elder serve the water, please wo Xu", it can be known that the plate is a water vessel used for washing. There are also self-named "pans", which are used for washing faces.
The Marquis of Jin is happy with his father
Late Western Zhou Dynasty
Tianma-Qucun Jinhou cemetery M92 unearthed
Collection of Shanxi Museum
匜 (yí), with its own name, is correct. The basic shape is that the abdominal cross-section is oval, the abdomen is like a scoop, there is a stream in front and a pan in the back, and the early circle is mostly three-legged or quadruped. After the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty, the coil formed a fixed combination, which was a set of water vessels for washing.
Tsung Zi-hsien
Early Spring and Autumn Period
Wen Xi Shangguo Village cemetery unearthed
Collection of Shanxi Museum
盉 (hé), has its own name, and the name is correct. The basic shape is a large abdomen, with a tubular flow growing obliquely on one side of the abdomen, and a three- or four-legged pipe on the other side, covered and connected to the belly by a chain cord. Some bronze vessels have a different body shape, but there are also tubular flows, which are also customarily called 盉. The pan-cup combination was seen from the early Shang period to the Spring and Autumn period, and did not coexist with the pan-qi combination, so it can be seen that it is a washware combination with the same function. In addition, it may also be used to add water to the wine to balance the shades, and it may even be used to warm the wine.
Breath cup
Middle Western Zhou Dynasty
Yicheng Dahekou cemetery M2002 unearthed
Collection of Linfen City Museum
The bowl has its own name, and the name is correct. The basic characteristics are that the mouth edge is rounded, open, the mouth edge is wide and extravagant, the lips are square, the abdomen is obliquely straight, the abdomen is rounded and adducted near the bottom, the bottom is flat, and there is a ring foot. The shape of the device is similar to that of the Gui, but it is generally larger in shape and the ears are attached to the ears. "Mozi and Love" said: "Cut in the pan", the two are used together, proving that their functions are similar, and they are both water vessels. There are people who call themselves "rice bowls", so they can also be used as food utensils.
盂
Early Western Zhou Dynasty
Tianma-Qucun Jinhou cemetery M114 unearthed
Collection of the M. M. Sackler Museum of Archaeology and Art, Peking University
Jian, there is a self-name, and the name is correct. The basic shape is that the edge of the mouth is round, open, the edge of the mouth is folded outward, the abdomen is deep, the upper abdomen is straight, and the lower abdomen is rounded and the bottom is harvested, and the body size is relatively large. In the literature, it is often written as "indiscriminate", such as "Lü's Spring and Autumn Period": "Zhongding pot indiscriminate". From the name of the vessel next to "water", it can be seen that its function is a water vessel, and its uses include identification, washing, etc. In addition, Fang Jian and Fang Zun can also be used together to heat or cool the wine in the Venerable.
Pan claw pattern bronze jian
Spring and Autumn period
Xixian Wayaopo M29 unearthed
It is now in the Xi County Museum
musical instrument
Bell is customary naming. There are semi-ring buttons on the flat top, obliquely stretched on both sides, the cross-section is mostly tiled or oval, the mouth is flat or concave, and the volume is less. There is a tongue inside the bell, which makes a sound by striking when it is shaken. In addition to being used as a musical instrument, the bell may also be used as an ornament.
Erlitou Phase II VM3:22
The ruins of Yanshi Erlitou were unearthed
Now in the collection of the Institute of Archaeology, Academy of Social Sciences
The self-name of the bell is generally called "bell" or "镈", and it is often preceded by a beautiful adjective.
Yong Zhong is customarily named. The Yongzhong is a percussion instrument that was popular from the early Western Zhou Dynasty to the Warring States period. The cross-section of the bell body is tiled. The mouth is concave along the center and is arc-shaped. The Ningbo bell is generally composed of three major parts: the column-shaped Yong, the cymbal and the drum, and the Ningbo bell is generally hung sideways on the shelf, and the bell body is tilted. The Ningbo bell was developed from the cymbal, and compared with the Ningbo bell, the cymbal did not have a "dry" (hook of the hanging rope), and was used with the mouth up and the handle inserted into the wooden stick, which was popular in the middle and late Shang period.
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Wei Gongsun weaves the Yong bell
Late Spring and Autumn
Excavation of Tōsa North Cemetery M3011
Collection of Shanxi Museum
The shape of the button clock is basically the same as that of the Ningbo clock, except that the top of the bell is a ring-shaped "button", so it can be hung vertically on a shelf. It appeared later than the Yong Bell, and it became popular in the Spring and Autumn Period.
镈, self-named "镈" or "bell", the former is a special name compared to the latter. The body size is large, the "mouth" (that is, the mouth edge part) of the bell is flat, the surface is flat, there is no convex "piece", and the cross-section is nearly oval. Affected by the shape, the sound is long and easy to mix, so it is not suitable for playing fast-paced melodies alone, and is mainly used to play accompaniment and control the rhythm.
Braiding
Late Spring and Autumn
Unearthed in the north cemetery of Taosi
Collection of Shanxi Museum
weapons
Ge has his own name, and the name is correct. Ge is an ancient Chinese weapon with a variety of functions such as stabbing and pecking. Geshou is generally composed of Yuan, Hu, Lang and Nei. There are various forms of Ge, such as 銎 Nege, Zhi Nege, Qu Nego and so on.
Diagram of each part of the head
spear
Warring States period
Collection of the M. M. Sackler Museum of Archaeology and Art, Peking University
Yue, I don't see my own name, but it is very consistent with the image of the word "Yue". A kind of long-handled, the head has an arc blade, the head of the head is flat and the shoulder is straight, and the arc blade is gradually opened from the shoulder to the blade.
Ugly
Late Shang Dynasty
Qingzhou Tomb No. 1 excavated
Collection of Shandong Museum
Spears, the main parts of the spearhead are skulls and leaves. The skull is hollow and used for secrecy. The leaves are edged on both sides, and the front sides converge into sharp edges, and the middle of the two blades is a ridge.
Schematic diagram of each part of the Shang Dynasty bronze spear
矛
Early Spring and Autumn Period
M8 was unearthed in the Xiguan cemetery in Licheng
Licheng County Museum Collection
Carriage and horse
軎 (wèi), 軎軎 (xiá), refers to the cylindrical device located at the outer end of the hub and attached to the two ends of the axle. There are rectangular holes on the surface of the copper axle to insert into the long strip of graft to fix the axle head.
With a car carriage
Middle Western Zhou Dynasty
M1017 was unearthed in the cemetery of Yicheng Dahekou
Collection of Linfen City Museum
Horse bit, horse bits (biāo), horse bits are generally shaped as two copper strips with a ring at each end, which are socketed with each other. Commonly known as "horse chew", it is strangled on the horse's mouth in order to drive the horse. A stirrup is a horse device that is located on the left and right sides of the horse's muzzle and is connected to the two ends of the horse's bit by a leather strip.
Horsebit
Western Zhou
Tomb No. 1 of Zhouyuan Qiangjia Village was unearthed
Collection of the Zhou Yuan Museum
Stirrups
Western Zhou
Tomb No. 1 of Zhouyuan Qiangjia Village was unearthed
Collection of the Zhou Yuan Museum
Miscellaneous utensils
The box is generally shaped as a rectangular abdomen, with four corners of the abdomen, surrounded by climbing dragon decorations, covers, and different forms such as circle feet, wheels, and lying beast-shaped quadrupeds at the bottom of the device. There are a large number of colored soil samples and a copper spoon left in the copper box unearthed in M4 of the North White Goose Cemetery, which is rich in oils and minerals related to cosmetics, so the function of the copper box is likely to be to hold cosmetics. Such copper boxes are mainly found in high-ranking female tombs, as a manifestation of their identity, and as a manifestation of the ancient burial system.
box
Western Zhou
Tianma-Qucun Jinhou cemetery M63 unearthed
Collection of Shanxi Museum
A wide variety of bronzes show all aspects of the lives of ancient people. They include ritual vessels that are sacrificed in the temple and show the status and rank of the nobility, as well as those that are more practical. But it should not be ignored that the divine power behind the bronze is precisely outlined by its "use". Cooking utensils, food containers, wine vessels, etc. are the reflection of the dietary activities of the ancients, musical instruments such as chimes and braids reflect the appreciation and pursuit of music by the ancients, chariots and horses outline the picture of the ancients traveling and playing, and practical weapons such as spears and ges also show the tension between different forces and the situation of fighting each other... It is precisely because of this that we can get a glimpse of the magnificence of the ancient world through the "historical fossil" of bronze itself.
bibliography
Zhu Fenghan, A Synthesis of Chinese Bronzes, Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 2009.
Li Ling, "Re-understanding the Classification of Shang and Zhou Bronze Ritual Vessels", Journal of the National Museum of China, No. 11, 2020.
Source: Arthur M. Sackler Museum of Archaeology and Art, Peking University